If this is done right, everything downstream becomes easier.
In faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) design, a clean and accurate mass balance is the foundation of everything that follows.
It defines how much water, solids, and organics enter and leave each unit — ensuring every tank, drying bed, and digester is sized for reality, not assumptions.
When it’s wrong: errors multiply through the system — undersized units, poor perfromance, and overloaded effluent lines.
When it’s right: design, costing, and operation flow naturally.
A reliable mass balance directly shapes:
- Hydraulic design – how flows move through pipes and tanks
- Process sizing – how large each unit must be to treat the load
- Effluent management – how much liquid leaves the system
- Resource recovery – compost and biogas potential
- Costing and operation – long-term performance and efficiency
Good data → sound mass balance → functional FSTP.
