Design of treatment plants for faecal sludge management systems relies on a comprehensive accurate knowledge of FS (faecal sludge) characteristics, but this information is lacking. Developing countries like Ghana, where large proportion of the urban population (Accra) rely on onsite sanitation systems, face a lot of FSM (faecal sludge management) design challenges as a result of lack of a comprehensive study data on physicochemical characteristics of raw faecal sludge after primary dewatering. Achieving a fully operational FSM chain would imply a well understanding of the characteristics of the FS and its dynamics after primary dewatering. A study was carried out to determine the characteristics of faecal sludge brought to the Lavender Hill treatment plant, Accra Metropolis, and environs to ensure the treatability and uses of the products after treatment. The treatment plant receives an average of 150 trucks (1350m3) a day with 58% coming from private homes and 42% from public toilets. Composite samples were made from both public and private toilets facilities. Samples were taken from a reservoir holding faecal sludge from both public and private facilities, examined on daily basis and characterized. The values obtained showed high concentrations of BOD and COD values. The COD: BOD ratios showed that the faecal sludge is not stabilized yet and can be further degraded. The calorific value for the dry sludge was found to be 15.16-15.82 MJ/kg and 16.39–18.31 MJ/kg for the wet sludge. The calorific value of the sludge is adequate enough to be used as potential feedstock for green energy generation. The high concentrations of COD and organic matter of the faecal sludge make it suitable enough for biogas generation. A good correlation (r=0.909,R2=82.6%) between the calorific value and the TVS was found to be CV=0.122TVS+7.44. Heavy metal concentrations were low and satisfied the EPA Ghana guidelines for sludge. Thus products from the treatment can be used for agricultural purposes.

Faecal sludge management has been a burden for most waste managers particularly in developing countries; yet a sure way of preventing the continuous disposal of this waste into drains, bushes water bodies and the environs in general has been by treatment. The introduction of a new treatment plant with the UASB technology in the management process of faecal sludge has been much welcomed as an improved technology for solving the treatment problems of the waste; but this technology is not without some challenges. It has no design criteria for the treatment of other wastes that it screens from faecal sludge. This paper assessed the foreign material load in faecal sludge dislodged at the treatment plant at the Lavender hill a suburb of the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The foreign materials in the faecal sludge were categorized into their material composition or items that were relatively easy to recognized. The characteristic components were Textile/Fabric, Condoms, Gravels, Metal, Glass, Sanitary pads, Rubber/Plastics and Others' (cotton wool, mobile phones, broom sticks, paper wrappers, cartons, wallets, ID cards, money, feotus). The faecal sludge of Greater Accra region of Ghana contains about 0.24kg of foreign materials per cubic metre of the faecal sludge. Of this composition, the highest contribution was seen to have come from plastics contributing about 36.80%. Sanitary pads, textiles, 'others' category, condoms, stones, metals and glasses respectively contributing 29.89%,18.55%, 7.47%, 3.74%, 2.52%, 0.06% and 0.16%. The order of the load of the foreign materials were seen to be in the order of Plastics/Rubbers > Sanitary pads >Textiles/Fabrics > Others > Condoms > Gravels > Glass > Metals. These wastes pose mechanical and technical challenges to the treatment plant. Inasmuch as responsible environmental behavior through public sensitization on proper use of pit latrines in particular and the need for their redesign to make them almost impossible for use as dumping pits for other wastes were recommended, the utilization of some of these foreign materials that have the potential to be reused like the money, memory chips or mobile phones could potentially be a source of spread for disease like cholera and diarrhea as the FS contains a lot of pathogenic bacteria.

The Rehabilitated Mudor sewage treatment plant at James Town was monitored over a period of 4 months (October 2017 to January 2018). This study analyzed the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the raw sewage and the treated effluent from the plant. The result indicates that the total removal efficiencies were 98.8%, 91.2%, 62.8%, 28.6%, 81.7%, 43.6%, 82.5% and 99.6% for BOD, COD, TSS, Nitrate-Nitrogen, Phosphate-Phosphorus, Ammonia-nitrogen, Sulphate and faecal coliform respectively. More than 13 parameters needed to be met according to the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guideline were satisfactorily met whiles ammonia, total suspended solids and phosphate were slightly out of range. From the results obtained, the overall performance of the rehabilitated plant was satisfactory and has seen some improvement with respect to the former recorded performance of the plant. With monitoring operation parameters for waste water plants discharge guidelines becoming stringent over the past years, it could be said that management of the Mudor rehabilitated treatment plant is on the right cause with full scale operation of the plant barely less than a year. Increase in the process steps through rehabilitation resulted in several significant improvements in effluent quality parameters.

Organic wastes such as Fecal Sludge (FS) and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) are readily available in large quantities in the Ghanaian environment especially in urban cities and towns where human populations are constantly swelling like Accra, Ghana. These wastes are observed to be rich in good amounts of organic matter and nutrients which when treated and managed well can be reused in agricultural production by improving soil fertility for plant growth. This study seeks to present first extensive assessment of the physicochemical and Microbial characteristics of mixing dried Fecal Sludge (DFS) and municipal organic Compost and the formulation mix effect on lettuce production in greater Accra region. Analysis of the characteristics of Dry Fecal Sludge and Compost informed in three (3) different formulations of Mix accordance with estimated variation on percentage nitrogen of 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%. The ratios were 1:3.3, 1:1.1 and 1:0.4 (w/w) of Dry Fecal Sludge and Compost respectively. Analyses of the physicochemical parameters confirmed that, formulation Mix of Dry Fecal Sludge and Compost had significant effect (p<0.05) on physicochemical parameters studied. The different treatments mix were tested on the growth of lettuce. Data on plant height and girth showed that there was a significant (p < 0.05) variation between the treatments. Formulated mix 1 showed high growth yield of lettuce as compared to other treatments in terms of number of leaf, wet and dry weigh of lettuce.

The application of excreta-based fertilizers has attracted attention due to the increasing prices of chemically produced fertilizers and low soil fertility problem of the agricultural land. This study was carried out to assess the efficacy of mixed dried Faecal Sludge (DFS) and municipal organic Compost pelletized on lettuce production. Faecal sludge was dried and mixed with compost produced from Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACRP). Analysis of the characteristics of Dry Faecal Sludge and Compost informed in the formulation of three (3) different composition in accordance with estimated variation on percentage nitrogen of 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%. The ratios were 1:3.3, 1:1.1 and 1:0.4 (w/w) of Dry Faecal Sludge and Compost respectively. The mixed formulation was pelletized using a pelletizer machine. Starch and clay were used as binding materials for pelletization. The pelletized treatment was used in the production of lettuce. Application of the pelletized treatments confirmed that, pelletize mix of Dry Faecal Sludge and Compost with starch as a binder is highly recommended as it had greater significant effect (p<0.05) on Lettuce Height, wet weight and number of leafs. M3 with ratio 1:0.4 (w/w) DM basis of faecal sludge and compost recorded the highest average dry weight of lettuce.