Effect of Ambient Temperature During Small Scale Co-composting of Human Faecal Matter

To find a suitable and affordable technology for the composting of human faeces in the Ger Areas of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, new composting system was developed and several trials have been conducted. Under controlled conditions with pH, temperature and moisture, three different mixtures were tested: human faeces plus sawdust, human faeces plus straw and human faeces plus wood chips. Based on the experimental results it can be concluded that the composting process, if started under controlled and appropriate conditions, could start and last about 32 days. Meanwhile, when ambient temperature drops sharply, the reactor temperature correspondingly drops sharply, but shows different results in the different temperature ranges. For stable and high efficient composting under such condition, further improvement measures and more trials should be done in next stages.