Many middle- and low-income countries are experiencing rapid urbanization, which creates a need for services, including sanitation. While some areas in
some towns and cities are sewered, most people, especially the urban poor, continue to use various forms of on-site sanitation. These require periodic
emptying and the material removed from them must be treated before reuse or discharge to the environment.

Faecal Sludge and Septage Treatment confronts the urgent need to treat increasing volumes of faecal sludge and septage in the rapidly expanding towns and cities of the global south. It discusses the urban contexts that influence treatment requirements and overall septage treatment processes. It examines the options and design approaches at each stage of treatment, from reception, through preliminary treatment, solids – liquid separation, anaerobic and aerobic treatment of the separated liquid and solid fractions to systems to render treated products suitable for reuse in either agriculture or as a fuel.

Faecal Sludge and Septage Treatment provides straightforward guidance on the options for faecal sludge treatment and the choices between those options. All concepts and approaches are clearly explained so as to make Faecal Sludge and Septage Treatment accessible to a non-specialist readership.

Faecal Sludge and Septage Treatment is essential reading for planners and engineers working in local government; specialist central government departments; NGOs and consulting firms working on the planning and design of septage treatment plants; researchers and students studying urban sanitation.

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‘In the developing world’s rapidly growing cities, safe management of sanitation is of ever growing importance. As universal sewerage still remains a (pipe) dream for many, it is widely recognized that we must improve the effectiveness of non-networked sewerage options for the many, to complement sewerage access for the few. To address this neglected but crucial part of the urban sanitation system, Kevin Tayler’s Faecal Sludge and Septage Treatment is a timely resource that provides practitioners with much-needed technical support to diagnose, plan and manage FSM services.’
Dr Darren Saywell, Director, Water Services, AECOM International Development, USA

‘The urgency in providing safe acceptable sanitation to millions of people in the global South requires a different mind-set to traditional approaches. The rapid urbanization, lack of dependable water and electricity supply add to the challenges. This publication is a valuable contribution to the body of technical guidance for sanitation professional and students in developing countries. I see it as becoming the standard text for all sanitation courses in the global South.’
Professor Chris Buckley, Pollution Research Group, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Kevin Tayler
Kevin Tayler is a municipal engineer with over 20 years' experience of urban infrastructure planning in developing countries and is currently an Honorary Professor in the School of City and Regional Planning at Cardiff University.