TITLE:
Effect of Post-Treatment Conditions on the Inactivation of MS2 Bacteriophage as Indicator for Pathogenic Viruses after the Composting Process
AUTHORS:
Hamidatu S. Darimani, Ryusei Ito, Naoyuki Funamizu, Amadou H. Maiga
KEYWORDS:
Composting Toilet, MS2 Bacteriophage, Temperature, Moisture Content, Post-Treatment
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Environment,
Vol.7 No.2,
May
14,
2018
ABSTRACT: A rural model composting toilet system still had some pathogens in the compost after months of operation and hence requires a post-treatment. The aim of the study was to sanitize compost withdrawn from the composting toilet by setting post-treatment conditions. The kinetics inactivation of MS2 bacteriophage, selected as indicator for pathogenic viruses were determined during post-treatment at different temperatures (30°C, 40°C and 50°C) with varying moisture contents (50%, 60% and 70%). As a result, the inactivation rates during the post-treatment were 0.093 - 0.020 h-1, 0.025 - 0.088 h1, 0.447 - 0.100 h-1 at 30°C, 40°C and 50°C respectively. The inactivation rate coefficient (k) values of MS2 bacteriophage depended on higher temperature but not on moisture content.