Anal cleansing water is water used to cleanse oneself after defaecating and/or urinating. It is generated by those who use water, rather than dry material, for anal cleansing. The volume of water used per cleaning typically ranges from 0.5 L to 3 L.

Incineration ash can be divided into two main categories: incinerator bottom ash (IBA) and air pollution control residue, which is commonly referred to as fly ash. IBA forms at the bottom of an incinerator from heavy components that are neither combustible nor volatile. These residues contain large proportions of phosphorous and potassium, which can fertilise the soil for agricultural purposes if the sludge is not chemically contaminated. It can also be used in construction materials such as roads.

Biochar is a solid material obtained from pyrolysis, the thermochemical conversion of biomass in an oxygen-limited environment. Biochar derived from pyrolysis of sludge, faeces and/or organic waste may be applied to soils to improve soil properties and crop yields. Additionally, it acts as a carbon sink to reduce climate change impacts. Other applications include use as an adsorption material for filters, especially for water purification purposes, or as a feedstock for energy recovery. It is typically called “biochar” when it is used as a soil conditioner and “char” when it is used as a fuel.

Biogas is the common name for the mixture of gases released from anaerobic digestion. Biogas is comprised of methane (50 to 75%), carbon dioxide (25 to 50%) and varying quantities of nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide, water vapour and other components. Biogas can be collected and burned for fuel (like propane).

Blackwater is the mixture of urine, faeces and flushwater along with anal cleansing water (if water is used for cleansing) and/or dry cleansing materials. Blackwater contains the pathogens of faeces and the nutrients of urine that are diluted in the flushwater.

Briquettes are the product of a process developed by Sanivation in Naivasha, Kenia. Consisting of a mixture of dried, ground faecal matter and coal-dust, the briquettes are round and black. They burn longer than normal charcoal and produce less smoke.

Brownwater is the mixture of faeces and flushwater, and does not contain Urine. It is generated by Urine-Diverting Flush Toilets and, therefore, the volume depends on the volume of the flushwater used. The pathogen and nutrient load of faeces is not reduced, only diluted by the flushwater. Brownwater may also include anal cleansing water (if water is used for cleansing) and/or dry cleansing materials.

Compost is decomposed organic matter that results from a controlled aerobic degradation process. In this biological process, microorganisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) decompose the biodegradable waste components and produce this earth-like, odourless, brown/black material. Compost has excellent soil-conditioning properties and variable nutrient content. Because of leaching and volatilization, some of the nutrients may be lost, but the material is still rich in nutrients and organic matter. Generally, excreta or sludge should be composted long enough (2 to 4 months) under thermophilic conditions (55 to 60 °C) in order to be sanitized sufficiently for safe agricultural use. This temperature is not guaranteed in most composting chambers, but considerable pathogen reduction can normally be achieved.

Concentrated urine is a nutrient solution obtained by removing water from urine. Water removal is achieved through evaporation, distillation or reverse/forward osmosis of urine. The finished product is between 3 and 7% of the initial volume. In order to ensure that nitrogen is not lost in the process, nitrification or acidification of the urine is done prior to volume reduction. Depending on the pre-treatment
process, the majority of the nutrients are retained.

Dried Faeces is faeces that has been dehydrated until it has become a dry, crumbly material. Dehydration takes place by storing faeces in a dry environment with good ventilation, high temperatures and/or the presence of absorbent material. Very little degradation occurs during dehydration and this means that the dried faeces are still rich in organic matter. However, faeces reduce by around 75% in volume during dehydration and most pathogens die off. There is a small risk that some pathogenic organisms can be reactivated under the right conditions, particularly, in humid environments.

Dry urine is a nutrient-rich solid fertiliser produced by dehydrating and concentrating human urine in an alkaline substrate (pH > 10). Dry urine’s treatment technology, alkaline urine dehydration, can be implemented using different alkaline substrates, which will determine the composition and physicochemical properties of the dried product. The dried urine captures nearly all of the fertilising nutrients in urine.

Effluent is the general term for a liquid that leaves a technology, typically after blackwater or sludge has undergone solids separation or some other type of treatment. Effluent originates at either a collection and storage/treatment or a (semi-) centralized treatment technology. Depending on the type of treatment, the effluent may be completely sanitized or may require further treatment before it can be used or disposed of.

Excreta consists of urine and faeces that is not mixed with any flushwater. Excreta is small in volume but concentrated in both nutrients and pathogens. Depending on the quality of the faeces, it has a soft or runny consistency.

Faeces refers to (semi-solid) human excrement that is not mixed with urine or water. Depending on diet, each person produces approximately 50 L per year of faecal matter. Fresh faeces contain about 80% water. Of the total nutrients excreted, Faeces contain about 12% N, 39% P, 26% K and have 10⁷ to 10⁹ faecal coliforms in 100 mL.

Flushwater is the water discharged into the User Interface to transport human excreta and anal cleansing material and/or clean the user interface. Freshwater, stormwater, recycled greywater or any combination of the three can be used as a flushwater source. The volume of flushwater used depends on the toilet but generally ranges from 2 to 15 L per flush.

Freshwater is the water derived from a water source and is assumed to be uncontaminated.

Greywater is the water generated from washing food, clothes and dishware, as well as from bathing, but not from toilets. It may contain traces of excreta (e.g. from washing diapers) and, therefore, also pathogens. Greywater accounts for approximately 65% of the wastewater produced in households with flush toilets.

Excreta consists of urine and faeces that is not mixed with any flushwater. Excreta is small in volume but concentrated in both nutrients and pathogens. Depending on the quality of the faeces, it has a soft or runny consistency.

Organics refers to biodegradable plant material (organic waste) that must be added to some technologies for them to function properly (e.g. composting chambers). Organic degradable material can include but is not limited to, leaves, grass and market waste. Although other products in SaniChoice contain organic matter, the term organics refers to undigested plant material only.

Pellets are the product of the LaDePa (Latrine Dehydration and Pasteurization) machine and are brown and brittle. They are produced from faecal sludge and have a similar nutrient content to manure and compost, and similar calorific value to wood. As such they have suitable characteristics for reuse in agriculture and as a biofuel.

Pit humus is the term used to describe the nutrient-rich, hygienically improved, humic material that is generated in double pit technologies (double ventilated improved pit (VIP), fossa alterna, twin pits for pour flush) through dewatering and degradation. This earth-like product is also referred to as EcoHumus, a term conceived by Peter Morgan in Zimbabwe. The various natural decomposition processes taking place in alternating pits can be both aerobic and anaerobic in nature, depending on the technology and operating conditions. The main difference between pit humus and compost is that the degradation processes are passive and are not subjected to a controlled oxygen supply, C:N ratio, humidity and temperature. Therefore, the rate of pathogen reduction is generally slower and the quality of the product, including its nutrient and organic matter content, can vary considerably. Pit Humus can look very similar to compost and have good soil conditioning properties, although pathogens may still be present.

Sludge that was further processed in drying beds, SBRs, or biogas reactors.

Effluent that has undergone treatment for stabilisation and is expected to have better quality, than for example, septic tank effluent. Examples are aurin production, waste stabilization ponds (WSP) and horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSFCW).

Sludge is a mixture of solids and liquids, containing mostly excreta and water, in combination with sand, grit, metals, trash and/or various chemical compounds. A distinction can be made between faecal sludge and wastewater sludge. Faecal sludge comes from onsite sanitation technologies, i.e. it has not been transported through a sewer. It can be raw or partially digested, a slurry or semisolid, and results from the collection and storage/treatment of excreta or blackwater, with or without greywater. For a more detailed characterization of faecal sludge refer to Strande et al., 2014. Wastewater sludge (also referred to as sewage sludge) is sludge that originates from sewer-based wastewater collection and (semi-) centralized treatment processes. The Sludge composition will determine the type of treatment that is required and the end-use possibilities.

Stabilized sludge is the sludge that has undergone some sort of treatment similar to processed sludge but is expected to be of better hygienic quality. Stabilized sludge is obtained e.g. in drying beds or from lactic acid fermentation.

Stabilized urine is the urine that was kept in a urine bank and has been hydrolysed naturally over time, i.e. the urea has been converted by enzymes into ammonia and bicarbonate. It has a pH of approximately 9. Most pathogens cannot survive at this pH. After 6 months of storage, the risk of pathogen transmission is considerably reduced. Stored urine, if stored according to the guidelines from the World Health Organisation is a type of stabilized urine.

Faeces that were collected in a faeces storage chamber to be collected and transported to a treatment facility.

Urine that was collected in a urine storage tank to be collected and transported to a treatment facility.

Stormwater is the general term for the rainfall-runoff collected from roofs, roads and other surfaces before flowing towards low-lying land. It is the portion of rainfall that does not infiltrate into the soil.

Struvite, sometimes also called magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (MAP), is a phosphate mineral that occurs naturally in sanitation systems. It is a common precipitate in, e.g. pipes and heat exchangers, and it can also be purposefully extracted from waste streams, for example, through the addition of magnesium to urine. Struvite precipitation can be applied to reduce phosphorus concentrations in effluents while at the same time generating a product that can be applied as a fertiliser or industrial raw material.

Transferred sludge is sludge that has been transported to a transfer station for intermittent storage before being further transported for treatment. For instance, in densely populated sites, emptying has to be done with a smaller volume vehicle due to limited vehicular access. Storing the sludge in a transfer station allows usage of a larger vehicle for transporting it to a treatment site that lies out of the town.

For offsite treatment facilities, sanitation products require prior conveyance. The differentiation between transported and not transported products is made to ensure a correct assembly of technologies by the sanitation system builder.

Urine is the liquid produced by the body to rid itself of urea and other waste products. In this context, the urine product refers to pure urine that is not mixed with faeces or water. Depending on diet, human urine collected from one person during one year (approx. 300 to 550 L) contains 2 to 4 kg of nitrogen. With the exception of some rare cases, urine is sterile when it leaves the body.

For technologies from functional group, the output product is the transported version of the input product with the strongest pollution.

For instance for a technology Z with input blackwater and greywater, the output will be transported blackwater.