This document discusses ecological sanitation and closing nutrient cycles. It proposes alternative sanitation systems that collect and concentrate human urine and feces separately. The systems aim to recycle nutrients from waste through composting or use in agriculture. The document provides examples of such systems implemented in various locations. It also discusses using treated wastewater and sludge to irrigate and fertilize short-rotation willow coppice plantations for biomass production.

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NRM 2014 - Rethinking Sanitation
Ecological Sanitation
From a Metabolic Rift
Towards a Metabolic Shift
Arne Backlund
Backlund ApS
www.backlund.dk

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Present Human Organized Metabolism is
an Open-Flow System Premised on Nature
as Indefinite Exhausting its Sources of
Nourishment without paying its bills
Could Human Beings in Politics Reorganize
Humanity in Nature & Nature in
Humanity?

3. Main Objectives of Ecological/Sustainable
Sanitation
•To Reduce Health Risks related to
Sanitation,Contaminated Water and Waste
•To Prevent Pollution of Surface and Ground Water
•To Prevent Degradation of Soil Fertility
•To Optimise Closing the Loop of Human Excreted
Nutrients, Organic Material and The Water Cycle
Considering Energy & CO2 Balances
•Economically and Ecologically Sustainable and
Culturally Acceptable Systems

4. •Karl Marx stated in Capital in 1867 on England's
Ecological Imperialism toward Ireland: "For a
century and a half England has indirectly exported
the soil of Ireland, without even allowing its
cultivators the means for replacing the constituents
of the exhausted soil.“
•Describing the Ecological Contradiction between
Nature and Capitalist society as "an Irreparable Rift
in the Interdependent Process of Social
Metabolism."
A Rift in the Metabolic Relation
between Humanity and Nature

5. •A Sustainable Solution to the Global Environmental Rift
requires, a Society of “Associated Producers" who can
“Govern the Human Metabolism with Nature in a
Rational Way, bringing it under their Collective Control
instead of being dominated by it as a Blind Power”.
•Solutions requires Rational Regulation of the Metabolic
Relation of Human Beings to Nature in line with the
Needs of Future Generations. "Even an entire society, a
nation, or all simultaneously existing societies taken
together," Marx stated, "are not owners of the
earth. They are simply its possessors, its beneficiaries,
and have to bequeath it in an improved state to
succeeding generations as boni patres familias [good
heads of the household].

6. My Way - Innovative Production and
Waste Reducing Handling Systems in
Garnment Industri

7. Experienced Problems From Rural Area
Work In Eastern Germany 1990 - 1993
•High Subsidies Building CWWTP
•Very High Subsidies Establishing Sewers - Up To 95 %
•Costs - Up to Euro 50000 to Connect one House
•”HOAI” 10 % of Total Cost
•Mastering the Art of Tendering
•PPP ”Betreibermodelle” & ”Kooperationsmodelle”
•Not Supporting Innovation & Visions about
Ecological & Economical Sustainable Sanitation

8. Arne Backlund

9. Ancient Rome versus
Ancient China & Japan

10. Flow or Stream of Material
•Human urine contributes to about
80 % of the load of N and 50 % of the
P load of conventional domestic
wastewater
•Human Urine treated conventional
requires large amounts of energy
producing problematic sludge

12. US (2012) -Almost 1/3 of bought food is
THROWN
50 % salad is THROWN
Denmark (2012) almost 20 % of bought food is
THROWN
Stop Wasting Food movement Denmark (Stop Spild Af Mad

14. New Paradigm of Closing The Loop
With Alternative Sanitation
•Alternative Questions and Answers
•Different Streams and Flows
•Source Control
•Nutrients, Organic Material, Water etc.
•Diversion and Concentrated Collection
•Reuse of Resources to Plant Growth
•Re-Defining
•Re-Designing

15. Alternative Approach and Design
•Human Urine (Yellow Water or Golden
High Quality Anthropogenic Nutrient
Solution) and Human Faeces
•Diverted and Concentrated Collection
•Waterless or Reduced Water Flush
•Alternative Sanitary Components
•Alternative Sanitary Systems

16. Alternatives in Recycling
Nutrients and Water
•Nutrients Directly From Toilet
•Direct Local Use or After Transport
•Household Wastewater Directly into
Willow Evapotranspiration System
•Transported Septic Sludge
•Wastewater and Sludge from CWWTP

17. Selected Components
•Waterless Urinals
•No-Mix/Diverting Toilet Stools
•Vacuum Toilet Systems
•Separator
•Collection and Composting Units
•Willow Evapotranspiration Systems
•Short-Rotation Energy Willow Plantations
•Bamboo Systems, Plantations &
Constructions?

18. Flow or Stream
of Material
•Urine
•Faeces
•Toilet Paper
•Flush Water
•Grey Water

20. Flow or Stream of Material
•We Excrete most of the Nutrients
we Consume
•Human Urine contributes with only
1 % of the Volume of Household
Wastewater but contains 80 % of N,
55 % of P and 60 % of K and less than
0.6 % of Cadmium and 0.06 % of Lead

21. Phosphorus
•One Person Excrete 1 KG P/year.
•0.7 KG in Urine and 0.3 KG in Faeces.
•Human Phosphorus Returned to Soil
Would Cover 80 % of P Demand
•In Agriculture Short of Phosphorus
Human Excreta could be a Golden
Opportunity.
•In 100 years Phosphorus Could Be Gone.

22. To Make Gold out of Human Urine

23. 1) The first urine product is urine stabilized by
nitrification and destillated resulting in
amonium nitrate + P + S with a final water
content of 4 %.
2) The second urine product is struvite
(MgNH4PO4*6H2O), which precipitates
when magnesium oxide is added to human
urine. Struvite is mainly a phosphorus
fertilizer
3) The third urine product is ammonium
sulphate, where ammonia is stripped using
Present research condensing
human urine-derived nutrients

24. Value from Urine - project details
• Title: Bio-electrochemically-assisted
recovery of valuable resources from urine
• Project Acronym: ValuefromUrine
• Total Cost: 3.85 million €
• EC Contribution: 2.91 million €
• Duration: 48 months
• Start Date: 01-09-2012
• End date: 31-08-2016
• Consortium: 7 partners from 5 countries

25. Ejector, Drip Irrigation
and By Hand

29. Urine Containers & Composter

35. Sisimiut Greenland

38. Toilet in Sisimiut Greenland

40. Diverting Toilet with
Waterless Collection
of Faeces
•Continous Composting
Collection of Faeces

41. Diverting Waterless Toilet
•Estimated Values Regarding Urine
•100 % Urine Collection for Most Men
•80 – 100 % for Most Women
•0 – 50 % for Very Few Women
•60 – 100 % Concentration
•Very Small Amounts of Nutrients Lost
During Proper Storage.

42. Community Living and Other
Single Houses
•Sampling and Analysis of among
others Bacterias, Viruses, Protozoons,
Worms in Composted Faeces from
Few Months to 5 years.
•Registration of Temperatures in
Compost Material.

44. Eco-Village

45. Munksøgård Roskilde Denmark
- Largest cohousing community in DK with 235 inhabitants. -
- Estimated 470 kg nitrogen and 65 kg phosphorus is sufficien
- Energy consumption to produce a similar amount of nitrogen

47. Møn Farming Museum
•5 Diverting Double Flushing Toilets
•1 Water Free Urinal
•2 X 3m3 Urine Collection Tanks
•Urine Solution used in Agriculture
•Experiences from Public Use by First
Time Users
•Analysis of Collected and Stored
Urine

49. Sanitary System at Møns
Museumsgård DK

50. Waterless Urinals

51. Waterless Urinal
•100 % Collection used by Men
•100 % Concentration
•Low Storage Volume
•Concentrated Fertilizer
•No Accepted Solution for Women

52. Double Flushing Diverting/ No-
Mix Toilet Stool
•ESTIMATED VALUES FOR URINE
•Average Collection - 80 %
•Concentration 25 % - 100 %
•Very Small Amounts of Nutrients
Lost During Proper Storage.

54. One Year of Collection
in Kaggen
After One Year Composting in
Kaggen
After One Year Composting in Kaggen

55. After Eight Months in a Garden Composter

56. Storage - Composting
•Total Reduction in Volume - 88 %
•Big Losses of Nutrients
•High Humidity – 81.8 – 77.0 %
•Low Temperature 3 – 21.4 Degrees C.
•Large Reduction in Indicator Bacterias
•Nice Looking and Smelling Final
Product

57. Ekoporten Norrköping Sweden
•Modernized 1995-96.
•Diverting Double Flushing Toilets
•Aquatron Separators
•Composting Units

58. Separator
Estimated Values for Particle Outlet
•4.0 – 8.8 % DM and 2.7 – 5.8 % VS
•Ideal 10 % DM
•Ideal 80 % of DM and VS
•Ideal 70 % of N, P and K
•Worst Case 0.22 % DM and 0.16 % VS

61. VOD 230V Diverting Toilet
•ESTIMATED VALUES
•Household Power Consumption
4 kWh
•Concentration of DM 1.9 – 5.1 %
•Concentration of VS 1.7 – 4.8 %

63. Willow Evapotranspiration System
MARJATTA Tappernøje
From the first
known
”unknown” system
in 1991/1992 to
best known
practice in 2014
Recommended by
Authorities in
Denmark for
Highest Demands
Zero Discharge Sanitation

66. Evapotranspiration

67. Oasis & Cloth Hanger Effect

69. Willow bed ready for planting april 2004
Sept. 2004 Willow are appr. 3 m tall February 2005
June 2005
Willows August 2005
second growing season
4 m*38 m Bassin, 1.5 m Deep Møn, Denmark

70. Premises – Dimensioning Model
•8 m WIDE – with a DEPTH of 1.5m and 45°
GRADIENT on sides and ends
•Useable PORE VOLUME expected to be 40 %
•EVAPOTRANSPIRATION expected to be 2.5
TIMES calculated Potential Evaporation
• 30-years average MONTHLY PRECIPITATION
and POTENTIAL EVAPORATION
•SURFACE AREA dim. to avoid water storing on
the surface in a year with normal precipitation
and with a max. of 10 cm of surface water with
a precipitation which statisticly occurs in one
out of 10 years
•Same LOAD of wastewater every month

71. Dimensioning due to Grid Cells
•Surface Willow Bed Area from 124 to 292
m2/100m3 WW (Average 173 m2/100 m3)
Average Precipitation
524 - 903 mm/y
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
1343 - 1470 mm/y
Potential Evapotranspirat.
WW 452 - 936 mm/y
Calculated load reduced
due to lacking storage cap.
WW 357- 894 mm/y

73. Plant 1: 184 m2
Plant 2: 912 m2
Plant 3: 528 m2
Plant 4: 720 m2
Plant 5: 320 m2
Plant 6: 720 m2
Plant 7: 784 m2
Plant 8: 1.632 m2
Plant 9: udgår
Plant 10: 240 m2
Plant 11: 240 m2
Plant 12: 336 m2
Plant 13: 212 m2
Total 6.828 m2

75. •New A-Dishwasher , 7 - 12 l of Water
< 1 min. from Running Tap.
•New Washing Machine, down to 39 l for a
60°C normal wash
•Old Washing Machine, up to 120 l
•Slow Dripping Tap Waste up to 7 m3/y.
•Quick Dripping up to 30 m3/y
•Constant Running up to 100 m3/y
•Install Perlators. Easy, Cheap and Efficient.
•Install a Water Alarm Controlling Pipes,
Taps and WC.

76. Water Closet
•Old WC uses up to 15 l/flush.
•Water Saving WC 2/4 l or 3/6 l.
•Diverting Double Flushing WC 0.1 – 0.4/2 – 4 l.
•Vacuum WC 0.1/0.6 – 1.2 l.
•Toilet ”Running” but Not Visible 99 m3/y
•”Running” Visible 195 m3/y
•”Running” Clearly Visible on Surface 495 m3/y
•”Tap-Running” 3000 m3/y

77. Short-Rotation Willow Coppice Biomass
Plantations Irrigated and Fertilised with
Wastewater, Human Urine and Sludge
•4-year multidisciplinary field project in
Sweden, France, Northern Ireland and Greece
Penman Evaporation
Roma, Sweden 585 mm
Culmore Northern Ireland 467 mm
Orchies, France 669 mm
Larissa, Greece 912 mm

78. Diverting WC at
school in Visby
Sweden

83. Reduced costs using WW & Sludge
application to EWSRP
•Reduces Demand for Chemical Fertilizers
•By far Most Important Public or Private Cost
Reduction - Allocating Nutrient Removal to EWSRP
•Cost kg N Conventional N-Removal Often 10 Times
Higher than kg N price of Chemical Fertilizer
•Primary Cost Reduction Potential related to
Establishment

85. •Central Wastewater Treatment Plant built 1968.
•22.000 personer connected.
•10.000 m3 Wastewater/d
•EU-directiv: Demanding Municipality to reduce N-
outlet from Central Wastewater Plant
•County Demand: Only 42 – 45 t/N/year is allowed
to reach Baltic Sea through Enköping stream and the
lake Mälaren.
•Municipality Calculation: 50% reduction of N-outlet
from 120 t/N/y to 60 t/N/y in combination with
processes in stream and lake will fulfill demands.

86. •Estimated investments to establish
conventional N-Removal Euro 3.32 mill.
•Running costs landfill disposing of sludge.
•Enköping CHP supported full scale trials
growing energy willow in agriculture.
•Expenditures deponating ashes.
•Inspiration from EU Willow/Wastewater
/Sludge - Project and from People Involved to
Combine N-removal and Growing Energy
Willow.
•”Right” Decision Makers and Farmers

87. •Municipality Task Set Up (Question/Demand)
•50 % Reduction in N-Outlet to Enköping Stream
Using Alternatives To Conventional N-removal on
CWWTP.
•Consultant Answer/Solution
•30 t N/y Removed by Fertilizing 80 ha Energy
Willow Plantation at Local Farm
•20 t N/y Removed by use of Stored & Hyginized
Sludge from Septic & Black Water Tanks + Small
WWTP on Local Energy Willow Plantations
•10 t/N/y Internal Reductions on CWWTP.

88. Enköping Municipality, Central WW Treatment
Plant, Central Heating Plant and Five Farmers
•System improving Closing Local Nutrient Loop from WWTP
and Single Households to EWSRP
•New Thinking (New Paradigm) about Interaction Between
Wastewater Handling, Agriculture and Energy Production to
Local CHP
•Good Co-Operation with Local Farmers Recycling Nutrients
from Wastewater Streams to Cultivated Soil
•Environmental Advantages
•Economical Advantages Distributed Between Municipality,
Energy Company and Local Farmers

92. •15000 - 20000 m3 Dekantat & Reject Water < 1 %
of WW - about 25 % of N - Up to 800 mg N/l
•3 Storage/Hyginizing Lagoons Without Outlet at
Farm with EWSRP 200 -300 m from CWWTP
•2 x 5000 m3 + 1 x 20000 m3
•Mixed with 150000 – 200000 m3 M+B Treated WW
During Irrigation.
•330 km Drip Irrigation pipes on 75 ha willow area
(divided in 6 parts/10 – 15 ha each)
•Irrigation in 5-Hours Shift/area on Days Without
Precipitation During Growth Season (May-Sept.)
•300 mm/ha/y – 200-250 kg N and 7-10 kg P

93. •Recipient, local stream, deloaded with 30 t N/y and
1 t P/y
•1.500 t Sludge after Biogas and Centrifuge
Processing with DM 30% Stored at CWWTP.
•Mixing in spring with 1500 t Bottow Ashes from
CHP
•Used as Fertilizer on EWSRP
•Municipality paid all establishment expenditures

94. •4 local farms each with 2 Sludge Lagoons Without
Outlet 3500 m3/each established 2001
•16000-17000 t Sludge (DM 2%)/y from 6007 Septic
or Black Water Tanks + 3 small WWTP Pumped Into
Lagoons
•Sludge Hyginized for Minimum 8 Month
•Sludge Mixed with a propellar before Pumped and
Distributed.
•Hyginized Sludge Distributed by Large Diametre
Hose rolled out raw by raw and drawn back during
5 hours.

96. •Municipality CWWTP saves Euro 55276/y
•Sludge Deposit Euro 28/t Sludge Avoided
•Establishing Lagoons, Irrigation System, Field Rent
and Farmer Work paid by Municipality
•Energy Willow Plantations Nutrient Demand
covered 50-100% from WW and Sludge
•Energy Willow used in Enköping CHP
•Bottom Ashes mixed with Sludge from Biogas
Production used as Fertilizer on Willow Plantations
•CHP covers with 22 MW 50 % of Enköping El-
demand and with 55 MW 100 % af Heating Demand
(95 % connected) with Biomass containing 20 %

97. •1.200 Transports (10.000 km) with Sludge
containing Trucks through Enköping avoided
•Shorter biomass transports to CHP
•Reduction of Cadmium levels in Plantation soil
•Co2 storage in Plantation Soil
•A Farm with 150 ha Fields (including 110 ha with
Energy Willow) and 100 ha Wood got in 2006 50 – 60
% af Total Income from Handling Septic Sludge
•Farmers paid by Municipality Euro 1.11/m3 Septic
Sludge to store it a year.
•Euro 7.19/m3 to Fertilize with Own Equipment