Enhancing Low Infrastructure Burning of Human Waste

Current low infrastructure human waste treatment methods such as composting or pit latrines present challenges. Incineration is possible solution to this problem however the method must be able to cope with the high moisture content of human feces which varies from 65% [1] to 85% [2] while still being affordable and simple to operate. This paper presents a proof of concept that the Refluxer Technologyâ„¢ developed by Worcester Polytechnic Institute for in-situ burning of crude-oil spills is also useful for simple human waste incineration. The technology consists of thin copper rods which are inserted vertically into the fuel and capture heat from the flaming region and redirect it into the fuel. The introduction of copper rods allowed a human waste substitute with a 90% moisture content to burn and reduced the burning time of 75% moisture content by a factor of 2.5. This technology is infinitely reusable, easy to use, and cheap to construct while offering marked improvements in the incineration of human excreta.