Review of Dry and Wet Decentralized Sanitation Technologies for Rural Areas: Applicability, Challenges and Opportunities

This paper reviews decentralized sanitation technologies comparing dry and wet solutions currently available, discussing their operational requirements, applicability, effluent output quality, efficiencies, environmental impacts, costs, challenges, as well as their advantages and implementation difficulties. Sanitation technologies vary from conventional centralized systems, typically used on urban areas, to decentralized systems, more common in sparse dwellings and small communities of rural areas. Compared with centralized sanitation, decentralized sanitation is being progressively considered as more sustainable solution. Most do not require energy or expensive or sophisticated operation, being easy to adapt to different geographic contexts. A general lack of consistent regulatory control over most dry rudimentary systems and primary treatment systems may compromise water quality and human health. In the future, a mix of new policies and accurate accounting of the location, performance, and degree of failure of such systems should be performed. However, forcing users and communities to face the capital, operational, or repairing costs may be challenging. Since many of the discussed technologies may be important sources of contamination with nutrients, pathogens and toxic chemicals, new opportunities are still open, which include the conversion of dry rudimentary systems into dry controlled systems.