Engineers are exploring a new paradigm in wastewater treatment; focus is shifting to the recovery and reuse of energy, water, and nutrients. Ecological sanitation (EcoSan) technologies, which allow for this recovery and reuse, are an environmentally sound option for the future of sanitation. While the technology to achieve this goal of recovery and reuse exists, a limiting factor is user attitudes and perceptions. Social sciences, especially anthropology, can and should inform engineering projects to ensure socio-cultural sustainability. Since 2003, rural indigenous Ngäbe communities in Panama have been implementing ecological sanitation projects, mainly double vault urine diverting (DVUD) latrines known as composting latrines. With the help of governmental agencies and the Peace Corps, over 200 of these latrines have been built across the province of Bocas del Toro and the ñÖ Kribu region of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé. To this point, little monitoring and evaluation has taken place in these communities. Interviews and observations in 23 communities throughout this coastal region revealed that 70.6% of composting latrines constructed (n = 201) were completed and 71.8 % of the completed composting latrines (n = 142) are still in use. Based on observations, 65% of the latrines in use were determined to be used properly, which translates to the proper use of 45.8% of the completed latrines. To promote composting latrine adoption, social marketing and pilot latrine projects can be employed, and to improve the percentage of properly used composting latrines, education campaigns can be deployed as follow up. Utilizing suggestions made in recent literature as guidelines for the proper application of compost, analysis showed that new training messages have not reached the communities with older composting latrines. Informal interviews in 18 communities identified compost production, the lack of mosquitoes and flies, and the lack of odor as the most frequently mentioned advantages. With respect to the disadvantages, the inability to use water for anal cleansing was the most frequently mentioned disadvantage. In three communities, informal interviews and 124 surveys were used to characterize the perceptions of Ngäbes regarding feces and their use of composted human excrement as a soil amendment in agriculture. In general, the responses reflected perceptions that show no strong barrier to the operation and maintenance of composting latrines. Utilizing the Fisher's exact test and Kruskal-Wallis test, the community, sanitation classification, gender, primary occupation, and age all showed some level of association with the perceptions expressed in the survey responses. Filo Verde was more likely to respond with perceptions accepting of composting latrine use, while San San Puente was more likely to respond with "don't know" or with perceptions objecting to composting latrine use. At times, up to 37.9% of the respondents responded with negative perceptions; thus, evaluations of perceptions prior to the implementation stage are still beneficial. One discrepancy existed between the overall majority and the composting latrine user majority; 56.5% of the 124 respondents perceived the handling of human excrement as a great health risk, whereas 59.1% of the 22 composting latrine users did not. As expected, the composting latrine users responses represent the positive perceptions of feces and their reuse, but pit latrine owners were most likely to respond with perceptions contrary to those indicative of proper composting latrine behavior. Overall, males were more likely to agree with the perceptions related to composting latrine use. Regarding primary occupations, farmers consistently replied with more favorable perceptions of feces and their use as a soil amendment, while banana company workers showed more dissidence. Additionally, older participants gave responses reflecting favorable perceptions of composting latrines more than younger participants. Finally, education and household size do not have any statistically significant associations with the perceptions reflected in the survey responses.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals have prioritized improving access to sanitation, but unfortunately about a third of the global population is still without an improved sanitation source and one billion still practice open defecation. Lack of access to adequate and safe sanitation means the proliferation of dangerous pathogens in the environment, especially soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama (and similar locations in the world), composting latrines have been built in many of the indigenous communities in the area. They are a form of dry or ecological sanitation and are designed to produce an end product that can be used as a soil amendment for agricultural purposes. The issue is that many of these latrines are not working as designed and do not go through the composting process. Instead, they may act as incubators for harmful pathogens, such as Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm). This research 1) provides an extensive literature review of the health situation of Panama, focusing on indigenous populations; soil-transmitted helminths and helminthiasis; Ascaris lumbricoides and its implications for wastewater reuse and land application of biosolids/sewage sludge; and inactivation of Ascaris in composting latrines; and 2) develops and proposes an experimental plan, with field-based methods, to assess the inactivation of Ascaris, by urea and solar heat (increased temperature), in composting latrines in Panama. Various experiments have been conducted in the laboratory using urea and increased temperature to inactive Ascaris; however few have been carried out in dry toilet technologies in the field. The contribution of this thesis is the field-based experimental design developed for inactivating Ascaris in composting latrines. The methods build upon previous research carried out both in the laboratory and in the field.

Orientador: Edson Aparecido Abdul Nour / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T10:11:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Zanella_Luciano_D.pdf: 4352969 bytes, checksum: 2352f4e65f647af687892fb6b3d50391 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Sistemas de pós-tratamento de efluentes de reatores anaeróbios possibilitam a melhoria na qualidade do esgoto tratado de forma simplificada nas mais diversas condições, incluindo o atendimento local de pequenas comunidades não servidas por sistemas convencionais de coleta e tratamento. A opção pelo sistema de wetlands-construídos possibilita tirar proveito de condições secundárias do sistema de tratamento de efluentes como o efeito paisagístico do maciço vegetal, diminuição nos índices de rejeição do sistema pela população e, com a introdução de espécies de interesse comercial, a possibilidade de geração de trabalho e renda para a população circunvizinha. São várias as espécies de interesse ornamental que podem ser adaptadas aos sistemas de pós-tratamento de esgoto dentre elas a Zantedeschia aethiopica (copo de leite), Cyperus papyrus (papiro), Canna x generalis (biri) e Cyperus isocladus (mini papiro) e a mesma versatilidade pode ser aplicada aos materiais utilizados como meio-suporte como, por exemplo, o bambu, testado em comparação à brita no sistema avaliado em Campinas, SP, para pós-tratamento de efluente de reator compartimentado anaeróbio. As espécies ornamentais se adaptaram bem ao sistema de pós-tratamento mostrando-se viáveis para sistemas de wetlands-construídos. a bambu mostrou-se como uma alternativa aos meiossuportes tradicionais embora com resultados inferiores àqueles obtidos quando do uso da brita. Análises estatísticas indicam que, para as condições impostas ao sistema testado, o meio s~porte tem maior significância que a espécie vegetal na eficiência do sistema. Embora operado com tempo de detenção hidráulico significativamente inferior ao ideal, o sistema de póstratamento foi responsável, em média, por cerca de 30% da remoção tanto dos sólidos em suspensão totais quanto da DOa em relação ao total obtido no sistema: reator compartimentado e wetlands-construídos. a wetland-construído de leito de brita e vegetado com papiro alcançou valores médios de remoção de fósforo total de 27,7%. a r~sultado médio obtido para a remoção de coliformes totais e para a remoção de coliformes termotolerantes foi de cerca de 1 log de decaimento, abaixo do desejável. a uso de sistemas vegetados faz com que ocorra significativa perda de água por evapotranspiração e incorporação na massa vegetal, em média, 44,8% durante o período de acompanhamento / Abstract: Anaerobic reactor's effluent post-treatment systems make possible the improvement of anaerobic-treated wastewater characteristics in diverse conditions in a simple way. This posttreatment design flexibility will be able to support small communities to have better environmental conditions even if they did not have a traditional wastewater plant previously. The option for a constructed-wetland wastewater treatment system takes in consideration another advantages, as such as the effect on the landscape, that may change the main focus of the treatment plant from the wastewater, decreasing the plant rejection. The vegetal specie may be used to attend commercial and ornamental interests, and they might improve the income of people and create new places of job in the neighborhood as well. Several species with ornamental ar economic'al value can be adapted to wastewater post-treatment systems like Zantedeschia aethiopica (calla IiIly), Cyperus papyrus (papyrus), Canna x generalis (canna lilly) and Cyperus isocladus (dwarf papyrus). As it occurs to vegetation, many different materiais can be used as substrates in constructed-wetlands systems like bamboo rings, material that was selected to be compared with a gravei bed constructed-wetland located at UNICAMP in Campinas, SP, Brazil, as an anaerobic baffled reactar post-treatment system. The ornamental species were well adapted to the wastewater post-treatment system. Bamboo rings can be used as' substrate, but when gravei is used the system efficiency reached better results. Statistical tests show that, for the conditions imposed to the tested system, the substrate material is more important than the vegetal species to obtain better treatment efficiency. Although the used hydraulic detention time was considerabíy smaller than desirable, the post-treatment system contributed with about 30% of the wastewater treatment system COD and suspended solids removal efficiency results. The best medium total phosphorous removal efficiency value was 27.7% for the gravei and papyrus constructed wetland. The efficiency of total and thermotolerant coliforms removal was about 1 log decay. The use of a vegetated system caused an intense loss of water by evapotranspiration, in average, 44.8%, during research period. This loss covers up the system real capacity in regard to the removal of several parameters, when only compared the affluent and effluent concentrations. The evaluation of the system's efficiency must be verified considering the load removal, instead "of the current methods of analysis based on concentration / Doutorado / Saneamento e Ambiente / Doutor em Engenharia Civil

No que tange o saneamento, cresce a opinião entre a comunidade técnico-científica de que é necessário que a água seja gerida levando em conta a complexidade de seu ciclo hidrológico e que o esgoto e os resíduos sejam vistos como fontes de recursos. É nesses preceitos que se baseia o saneamento ecológico. Neste trabalho é avaliado o desempenho de uma tecnologia de saneamento ecológico, operada tratando esgoto doméstico real e projetada para atender à demanda de uma família de três pessoas e promover a reciclagem de nutrientes. O sistema é composto por 3 reservatórios que atuam como um reator anaeróbio, um decantador e um alagado construído de fluxo vertical ascendente. O sistema apresentou remoção global de DQO de 88,6% ± 6,3% com concentração final de 80 ± 35 mg O2.L-1 e as remoções de nutrientes foram insignificantes. Como o fósforo é o nutriente mais difícil de ser tratado biologicamente, e, como o lodo de Estações de Tratamento de Água (ETA) é um tipo de resíduo sólido que carece de manejo e tratamento adequado, propõe-se também uma tecnologia inovadora para as situações em que é necessário remover grandes cargas de fósforo. Essa tecnologia consiste no reaproveitamento do lodo de ETA como adsorvente, utilizando-o como meio de preenchimento de alagados construídos. Primeiramente, foram feitos ensaios em mesa giratória com solução padrão e foram obtidas as isotermas de Freundlich e Langmuir para 4 diferentes valores de pHs. A adsorção foi favorecida em pHs ácidos e a capacidade máxima de adsorção variou entre 1,44 mg P.g-1 a 4,76 mg P.g-1. Posteriormente, foi avaliado o desempenho desse lodo tratando esgoto real. Para isso, adicionou-se um estágio complementar de tratamento no sistema apresentado anteriormente. A aplicação do lodo como meio de preenchimento do alagado construído apresentou bom desempenho e levou à conclusão que o tempo de vida útil do sistema seria entre 1,6 e 9,7 anos. Por fim, busca-se trazer contribuições que transcedam a esfera da técnica; por essa razão é apresentada uma reflexão analítica conceitual com o intuito de analisar o processo sócio histórico de formação do paradigma tradicional do saneamento, baseado no referencial teórico das ciências sociais da tecnologia (DOSI, 1982; FEENBERG, 1992, 1999, 2003). A partir disso intenta-se vislumbrar uma alternativa de futuro e avaliar as potencialidades e limitações do saneamento ecológico para construção de outro paradigma sanitário. / Regarding sanitation, there is a growing consensus among the technical-scientific community that water must be managed considering the complexity of its hydrological cycle and that sewage and waste should be considered as sources of resources. It is in these precepts that ecological sanitation is based. In this work the performance of an ecological sanitation technology, operated by treating domestic sewage and designed to meet the demand of a family of three people and promote the recycling of nutrients, is evaluated. The system consists of 3 stages that act as an anaerobic reactor, a decanter and an upflow constructed wetland. The system had a total COD removal of 88.6 ± 6.3% with a final concentration of 80 ± 35 mg O2.L-1 and nutrient removals were insignificant. As phosphorus is the most difficult nutrient to be treated biologically, and since water treatment plant (WTP) sludge is a type of solid waste that still lacks proper management and treatment in Brazil, it is also proposed an innovative technology for situations where it is necessary to remove large loads of phosphorus. This technology consists in the reuse of the WTP sludge as an adsorbent, using it as a constructed wetland filling material. First, rotary table tests with stock solution were taken and the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were obtained for 4 different pH values. Adsorption was favored at acidic pHs and the maximum adsorption capacity ranged from 1.44 mg P.g-1 to 4.76 mg P.g-1. Subsequently, the performance of this sludge treating sewage was evaluated. To this end, a further stage of treatment was added in the system shown above. The application of the sludge a constructed wetland filling material presented good performance and led to the conclusion that the useful life of the system would be between 1.6 and 9.7 years. Finally, we seek to bring contributions that transcend the technical sphere; for this reason, a conceptual analytical reflection is presented with the purpose of analyzing the socio-historical process of formation of the traditional sanitation paradigm, based on the theoretical reference of the social sciences of technology (DOSSIER, 1982; FEENBERG, 1992, 1999, 2003). From this it is tried to glimpse an alternative of future and to evaluate the potentialities and limitations of the ecological sanitation to the construction of another sanitary paradigm.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-07T14:49:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 12481734 bytes, checksum: 6875ec9b59b796f7215ebaf3e4c7f91a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Permaculture techniques are alternatives that have been developed in order to produce a permanent crop that restores the human being to the environment, taking into account the observation of the natural environment and experimentation, with the intent of improving the various factors that are contributing to the deterioration of life and nature. Thus, it seeks to restore the nature balance s that human actions have broken. The lack of sanitation has brought many negative consequences, both to human health and the environment, so the waste managing, whether solid or liquid, should be among all local governments priorities. Because the investment in peri-urban areas is inferior to the urban ones, actions focused on eliminating the diffused pollution sources like inappropriate domestic waste disposal and its impact are essential. Therefore, this study intended to demonstrate among local communities that cultivation and the solid and liquid wastes could be sustainably combined. Permaculture activities were carried out: in a familiar way with children from the Escola Elementar Nova Vida, in Pitimbu Municipality-PB; solid waste was reused in handmade artifact in the maroon community of Ipiranga, in the Gurugi district, Conde, PB; and deployment of ecological tanks, with banana circles, for the treatment of greywater, in Engenho Velho, and the evapotranspiration tanks (green tanks for blackwater treatment) in the Condomínio Amizade in João Pessoa, PB. Motivating the communities to develop the proposed activities was a challenge, and only a few people participated. However, after the implementation of the activities there was a general feeling of satisfaction among the participants. The goal of this project was the adoption of Environmental Social technics by specific communities that would later on work as models to be copied by other communities. We have achieved the purpose of the project as we noticed that not only the methodologies have improved the communities where they were implemented, but also that those were spread and adopted by other communities, showing the appropriation of these technologies by the people of these communities. / Técnicas permaculturais são alternativas que vêm sendo desenvolvidas, no intuito de produzir uma cultura permanente que reintegra o ser humano ao ambiente, levando em consideração a observação do meio natural e a experimentação no sentido de aprimorar os diversos fatores que estão auxiliando a degradar a vida e a natureza. Dessa forma, busca restituir o equilíbrio natural que as ações humanas têm quebrado. A falta de saneamento básico tem trazido muitas consequências negativas, tanto à saúde humana quanto ao ambiente, deste modo, gerenciar os resíduos gerados, sejam sólidos ou líquidos deveria estar entre as prioridades dos governos municipais. Como em regiões periurbanas há menos investimento nesta área que nos centros urbanos, ações que diminuam os impactos dos resíduos, no sentido de eliminar as fontes de poluição difusa, como a destinação inadequada do lixo e dos esgotos domésticos são essenciais. Assim, este trabalho visou realizar ações demonstrativas em comunidades da Paraíba, de como os resíduos sólidos, os líquidos e a plantação podem ser integrados de forma sustentável. Foram desenvolvidas atividades de Permacultura, com o plantio de hortas agroecológicas, junto aos alunos da Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental de Nova Vida, no Assentamento Nova Vida em Pitimbu; de reuso de resíduos sólidos à produção artística na comunidade quilombola de Ipiranga, no distrito de Gurugi em Conde; e a implantação de fossas ecológicas com a construção de Círculos de Bananeiras no Vale do Gramame, para o tratamento de águas cinzas, e do Tanque de Evapotranspiração no Condomínio Amizade, para o tratamento de águas negras, em João Pessoa. Deparou-se com a dificuldade de articulação comunitária nos locais e apenas poucas pessoas participaram das atividades propostas. No entanto, após as ações desenvolvidas, verificou-se a satisfação de todos os que participaram destas. Como o objetivo deste trabalho foi a implementação de algumas Tecnologias Socioambientais nas comunidades, para servir de modelo para a sua replicação por outros comunitários, pode-se dizer que para além dos resultados positivos da implantação das tecnologias por si, visto que melhorou bastante as áreas em que foram aplicadas, pela eliminação de esgotos a céu aberto, houve a disseminação das técnicas permaculturais que já foram reaplicadas em outros locais, o que demonstra a apropriação destas metodologias pelas pessoas das comunidades.

No que tange o saneamento, cresce a opinião entre a comunidade técnico-científica de que é necessário que a água seja gerida levando em conta a complexidade de seu ciclo hidrológico e que o esgoto e os resíduos sejam vistos como fontes de recursos. É nesses preceitos que se baseia o saneamento ecológico. Neste trabalho é avaliado o desempenho de uma tecnologia de saneamento ecológico, operada tratando esgoto doméstico real e projetada para atender à demanda de uma família de três pessoas e promover a reciclagem de nutrientes. O sistema é composto por 3 reservatórios que atuam como um reator anaeróbio, um decantador e um alagado construído de fluxo vertical ascendente. O sistema apresentou remoção global de DQO de 88,6% ± 6,3% com concentração final de 80 ± 35 mg O2.L-1 e as remoções de nutrientes foram insignificantes. Como o fósforo é o nutriente mais difícil de ser tratado biologicamente, e, como o lodo de Estações de Tratamento de Água (ETA) é um tipo de resíduo sólido que carece de manejo e tratamento adequado, propõe-se também uma tecnologia inovadora para as situações em que é necessário remover grandes cargas de fósforo. Essa tecnologia consiste no reaproveitamento do lodo de ETA como adsorvente, utilizando-o como meio de preenchimento de alagados construídos. Primeiramente, foram feitos ensaios em mesa giratória com solução padrão e foram obtidas as isotermas de Freundlich e Langmuir para 4 diferentes valores de pHs. A adsorção foi favorecida em pHs ácidos e a capacidade máxima de adsorção variou entre 1,44 mg P.g-1 a 4,76 mg P.g-1. Posteriormente, foi avaliado o desempenho desse lodo tratando esgoto real. Para isso, adicionou-se um estágio complementar de tratamento no sistema apresentado anteriormente. A aplicação do lodo como meio de preenchimento do alagado construído apresentou bom desempenho e levou à conclusão que o tempo de vida útil do sistema seria entre 1,6 e 9,7 anos. Por fim, busca-se trazer contribuições que transcedam a esfera da técnica; por essa razão é apresentada uma reflexão analítica conceitual com o intuito de analisar o processo sócio histórico de formação do paradigma tradicional do saneamento, baseado no referencial teórico das ciências sociais da tecnologia (DOSI, 1982; FEENBERG, 1992, 1999, 2003). A partir disso intenta-se vislumbrar uma alternativa de futuro e avaliar as potencialidades e limitações do saneamento ecológico para construção de outro paradigma sanitário. / Regarding sanitation, there is a growing consensus among the technical-scientific community that water must be managed considering the complexity of its hydrological cycle and that sewage and waste should be considered as sources of resources. It is in these precepts that ecological sanitation is based. In this work the performance of an ecological sanitation technology, operated by treating domestic sewage and designed to meet the demand of a family of three people and promote the recycling of nutrients, is evaluated. The system consists of 3 stages that act as an anaerobic reactor, a decanter and an upflow constructed wetland. The system had a total COD removal of 88.6 ± 6.3% with a final concentration of 80 ± 35 mg O2.L-1 and nutrient removals were insignificant. As phosphorus is the most difficult nutrient to be treated biologically, and since water treatment plant (WTP) sludge is a type of solid waste that still lacks proper management and treatment in Brazil, it is also proposed an innovative technology for situations where it is necessary to remove large loads of phosphorus. This technology consists in the reuse of the WTP sludge as an adsorbent, using it as a constructed wetland filling material. First, rotary table tests with stock solution were taken and the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were obtained for 4 different pH values. Adsorption was favored at acidic pHs and the maximum adsorption capacity ranged from 1.44 mg P.g-1 to 4.76 mg P.g-1. Subsequently, the performance of this sludge treating sewage was evaluated. To this end, a further stage of treatment was added in the system shown above. The application of the sludge a constructed wetland filling material presented good performance and led to the conclusion that the useful life of the system would be between 1.6 and 9.7 years. Finally, we seek to bring contributions that transcend the technical sphere; for this reason, a conceptual analytical reflection is presented with the purpose of analyzing the socio-historical process of formation of the traditional sanitation paradigm, based on the theoretical reference of the social sciences of technology (DOSSIER, 1982; FEENBERG, 1992, 1999, 2003). From this it is tried to glimpse an alternative of future and to evaluate the potentialities and limitations of the ecological sanitation to the construction of another sanitary paradigm.

SANITATION, PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT The approach to sanitation worldwide should be ecologically sustainable, i.e. concerned with protection of the environment. This means that sanitation systems should neither pollute ecosystems nor deplete scarce resources. It further implies that sanitation systems should not lead to degrading water or land and should, where possible, ameliorate existing problems caused by pollution. More research and better designs are needed. Human excreta can be rendered harmless, and toilet designs that do this in harmony with agricultural and social customs hold promise for the future. Problems with conventional sanitation systems have been shown to include inadequate institutional capacity to deal with the sanitation process, a fixation with providing either a full waterborne system or a VIP toilet, the social acceptability of various systems, and the perception that dry, on-site sanitation systems are inherently inferior. The basic purpose of any sanitation system is to contain human excreta (chiefly faeces) and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, while avoiding damage to the environment. An alternative sanitation technology known as urine-diversion (UD) performs these functions with fewer operational and maintenance problems than those associated with conventional VIP toilets, (for example, it is a major and expensive operation to desludge full pits, which is not the case with UD toilets as the vaults can be quickly and easily emptied using hand tools) and also provides a free, easily accessible and valuable agricultural resource for those who wish to use it. This technology represents one aspect of an approach, or philosophy, termed “ecological sanitation” or “ecosan.” Key features of ecosan are prevention of pollution and disease caused by human excreta, treatment of human excreta as a resource rather than as waste, and recovery and recycling of the nutrients. In nature, excreta from humans and animals play an essential role in building healthy soils and providing valuable nutrients for plants. Conventional approaches to sanitation misplace these nutrients, dispose of them and break this cycle. UD systems have been successfully implemented in many countries, including South Africa where more than 60 000 of these toilets have been built since 1997. However, despite much research having been carried out internationally and locally, various questions still remain, particularly on the health aspects of operation, maintenance, and excreta use or disposal. Not enough is known about the dehydrating processes taking place inside the faeces vault, and there is still disagreement on safe retention periods and microbiological stability of the final product. The roles of dryness, pH, temperature and time in pathogen destruction also need to be further clarified. In addition, it is critically important that toilet users are able to operate and maintain their systems easily and safely, particularly while emptying the vaults and recycling or otherwise dealing with the contents. Engineers need to understand and take all these issues into consideration before they can properly design and implement sustainable UD sanitation systems. It is therefore important to develop guidelines for sanitation practitioners that set out best practices for construction and operation of UD toilets. Construction recommendations are important because good construction facilitates easy operation, and also promotes rapid pathogen destruction. Easy operation in turn directly influences the health risks associated with removing faecal material from the vaults. Handling of faecal material is an aspect inherent in the operation of UD ecological sanitation systems, because emptying of the vault is usually done using hand tools. If the faecal material is also used for agricultural purposes then further handling must of necessity take place. As such, there is a health concern, both for the person(s) handling the material and for the wider public who may be consumers of the fertilised crops. It is therefore necessary that these health concerns be quantified, in order that proper regulation may take place. <b<CONCLUSIONS FROM THE LITERATURE REVIEW The primary aim of sanitation is to prevent the transmission of excreta-related diseases. However, with all sanitation systems there is a risk of disease transmission related to the handling or use of the end product. Therefore, even a well functioning system could enhance pathogen survival and lead to an increased risk of disease transmission for those handling the end products or consuming crops fertilised with them. A greater understanding of pathogen die-off in dry sanitation systems is required where handling and/or use of excreta are expected. Pathogen destruction in dry sanitation systems, particularly in the vaults of urine-diversion (UD) toilets, is mainly dependent on storage time, pH, temperature, humidity, moisture content, organic content of the faecal material, and type of bulking agent added. It is of utmost importance to ensure that the material is safe to handle. This implies that the primary treatment in the vault should, as far as possible, ensure the required level of safety. While much research has been carried out internationally into pathogen destruction in the vaults of UD toilets, the same cannot be said of South Africa. There is also a wide range of results and conclusions, with recommended storage times varying from six months to two years. Construction and operational guidelines are required in order to assist practitioners in these and other respects. Sound management practices could play an important role in reducing the health risks involved in emptying the vaults of UD toilets and the disposal or further use of faecal material. From the public health viewpoint, it is necessary to reduce, as far as possible, the risk of handling faecal material. To do this, a better understanding of the factors influencing pathogen die-off in the vaults is required. FOCUS OF THIS THESIS The primary aim of this thesis is to investigate the efficacy of various methods aimed at enhancing pathogen destruction in the vaults of UD toilets, with the aim of (a) establishing the best combination of factors/methods, in particular the vault storage period required, and (b) producing guidelines for the construction, operation and regulation of these systems. The overall purpose of the research is to establish safety criteria for handling of faecal material from UD toilets. FIELD TRIALS: MICROBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON FOOD CROPS FERTILISED WITH FAECAL MATERIAL FROM URINE-DIVERSION TOILETS Recycling excreta to soils reduces the need for chemical fertilisers; however, pathogens are recycled to humans if improper agricultural practices are followed. Concerns about using faecal material include higher pathogenic content in developing countries compared to that in developed countries. This material, as well as that from other sanitation alternatives in small-scale systems, demands more personal involvement from the users (including handling), which constitutes a higher human exposure level compared to that from conventional piped systems. Nevertheless, it is considered that where the material can improve agricultural productivity, it can contribute to improving the nutritional status of the population, thus improving public health. Although ecosan technology is spreading all over the world, and with it the recycling of excreta to soils, only a few researchers have addressed the problems associated with the revalorization practice or documented the pathogen die-off. Moreover, little data about the microbial quality of ecosan faecal material from developing countries (where the health risks are the highest) are available. The objective of this research was thus to investigate the potential health risks of using faecal material in agriculture by determining the pathogen uptake on the surfaces of the edible portions of the crops. Faecal material of between one and three months old was extracted from a number of UD toilets in the eThekwini (Durban) municipal area. This was used primarily for the experimental work described in the next section, but for the purposes of this particular experiment it was first left in a heap in the open air for a further four months. Thereafter it was used as a soil amendment in the cultivation of spinach and carrots. Detailed microbiological tests were conducted on this material as well as on the in situ soil before sowing and after harvesting, on the irrigation water, and on the harvested crops. Applying different rates of material to spinach and carrots, two common edible crops, it was found that the bacteria and fungi content were only noticeable for the higher application rates (>35t/ha), while the helminth ova content varied, both in leaves and stems, depending on the quantity of material applied. Helminth ova content was, for both crops, more prevalent in leaves, suggesting that the ova adhere preferentially to plants rather than soil. It was thus illustrated that there is a health implication involved in growing edible crops in soils amended with ecosan biosolids. Even if in this case the spinach and carrots were cooked before consumption, normal handling of the crops during harvesting and preparation could have caused infection if personal hygiene was unsatisfactory. It is therefore important that crop growers and consumers, as well as proponents of biosolids use, are aware of the storage and treatment requirements for ecosan biosolids before these are applied to soils where crops are grown. DETAILED INVESTIGATION INTO VAULT PROCESSES It is hypothesised that the most advantageous approach to pathogen destruction in a UD toilet vault is to maximise the effects of various environmental factors, e.g. high pH, high temperature, low moisture, type of bulking agent and storage time. In order to quantify these effects a field experiment was set up consisting of 12 UD toilet vaults, each with a different combination of faeces and bulking agent (soil, ash, wood shavings, NaOH or straw), ventilation (ventpipe / no ventpipe) and vault lid material (concrete, metal or perspex). Faecal material was obtained from UD toilets in the eThekwini area, as described above. Temperature probes, which were connected to a data logger, were inserted in the heaps and the logger monitored over a period of nearly 10 months. This enabled a number of graphs to be drawn illustrating the effect of the above parameters on heap temperature over the experimental period. During the coldest week in winter the mean heap temperatures averaged 16,8°C, while the minimum and maximum averaged 14,8°C and 18,8°C respectively. During the warmest week in summer mean heap temperatures averaged 27,6°C, while the minimum and maximum averaged 25,6°C and 29,3°C respectively. In addition, samples were taken at various intervals from each vault as well as from the main heap of faecal material that was left exposed to the elements. The samples were subjected to microbiological testing in order to quantify the pathogen die-off over time for each vault as well as for the main heap. In the vaults, total coliform reduced by 3 log10 (99,9%) at between 130 and 250 days, faecal coliform between 100 and 250 days, and faecal streptococci from 125 days and longer. In the main heap, these times varied from 115 days for both total and faecal coliform to 140 days for faecal streptococci. Viable Ascaris ova were reduced to zero between 44 and 174 days in the vaults and by 44 days in the main heap. The conclusions drawn from the xperimentation were the following: <ul> <li>Influence of ventpipe Ventilation of the vault by means of a ventpipe does not result in any meaningful difference in either the vault temperature or rate of pathogen die-off.</li> <li>Influence of vault lid material The lid material, and by inference also the material of the vault walls, has no significant effect on the temperature of the heap or the associated pathogen die-off.</li> <li>Type of bulking agent While the type of bulking agent used does not significantly influence the temperature of the faecal material, it does have an effect on the rate of pathogen die-off. The ordinary soil mix was seen to give the best results, and this was ascribed to the effect of competing microorganisms in the soil itself.</li> <li>Influence of sunshine and rain The main heap of material (faeces/soil mix) that was exposed to the elements performed among the best in terms of pathogen die-off. Apart from the influence of competing microorganisms in the soil on the pathogens as described above, this good performance was also ascribed to the effect of UV radiation and alternate wetting/drying and heating/cooling cycles, which suggests that open-air exposure is likely to provide the best treatment.</li></ul> Comparing the results of this research with other local and international research, it appears that there is a great deal of convergence in the results. It is concluded that vaults of UD toilets should be sized for a storage period of 12 months from last use. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND REGULATION OF URINE-DIVERSION TOILETS The standard of UD toilets in South Africa varies greatly. While there are many good examples of the technology, there are also many that have been ill-conceived and are badly built and poorly operated. Project implementers are responsible for the quality of sanitation schemes and should be equipped with the necessary information to oversee the process. The guidelines are aimed at providing implementers with, firstly, the necessary technical information to build good quality UD toilets and, secondly, the basic operation and maintenance tasks that should be conveyed to the toilet owners. Basic regulatory guidelines for the responsible authorities are also given. The guidelines are intended to be a stand-alone document and some repetition of information from earlier chapters is thus unavoidable. The technology of urine diversion is introduced, followed by basic design and construction guidelines, including drawings, for the superstructure and vault of a UD toilet. Both single- and double-vault toilets are discussed. A number of photographs are also provided, illustrating good and bad building practices. Further aspects discussed are requirements for urine pipes and ventilation. Operation and maintenance of UD toilets are subsequently covered. Topics discussed are dehydration, odour, fly control, cleaning of the pedestal, disposal of anal cleansing material, urine collection and disposal, clearing of blockages in urine pipes, and faeces management. The above guidelines are aimed at designers, builders and toilet users. However, organisations responsible for administering public and environmental health, such as Departments of Health, Environmental Affairs, etc, as well as the local and regional authorities that actually implement the sanitation schemes, should become actively involved in regulating the operation of UD toilets, particularly the removal and disposal of faecal material. Some regulatory guidelines are therefore also included to assist these organisations to set uniform (high) standards in their respective jurisdictions. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH RELATED TO THIS THESIS It is deemed important that the field trials conducted in the various vaults as described earlier are repeated in other climatic areas, for example a hot and dry area, as it is likely that different results regarding recommended minimum storage periods will be obtained. This should be supplemented by trials involving co-composting of the faeces mix with other organic material, in order to compare the efficacy of this method with the dehydration process. Further, vault lids made of PVC should be tested for enhancing heat gain in the vaults. Finally, long-tem measurements of heap pH should be made in order to ascertain if high pH amendments (wood ash, lime, etc) do in fact maintain their initial pH level. Additional field trials, similar to those described earlier for spinach and carrots, should be undertaken with a view to making recommendations regarding maximum application rates of faecal material. These should consist of food crops where the edible portions are either in or near to the soil, such as beetroot, onion, potatoes, tomatoes, etc. Trials involving urine should also be considered in order to determine the most advantageous application rate for the various crops. Another important topic is recommended for further research on the subject of UD toilets. At present, virtually all the UD toilets built in the country have been for communities on the lower end of the income scale and who previously had no formal sanitation facility at all or, at best, an unimproved pit toilet. Research carried out by CSIR in a number of communities has revealed people’s resistance to handling their faecal material, while in others it has not been a problem. There is often a general viewpoint in a village that “the municipality must take the faeces away.” However, willingness has also been expressed in some villages to pay for a faeces removal service. For instance, this has borne fruit in an area of Kimberley with UD toilets where householders pay a local resident to remove the faecal material on a regular basis. This is done by means of a wheelbarrow, and the material is stockpiled at a nearby approved facility from where it is destined for co-composting with other municipal waste. However, this has not yet been attempted on a large scale in an area with hundreds, or even thousands, of UD toilets. While a theoretical desktop study has been carried out on the feasibility of setting up a large-scale faeces collection concern, such an enterprise does not yet exist in the country. It is suggested that one be set up utilising a horse- or donkey-drawn cart in a village, or group of villages, with sufficient UD toilets available to ensure that a viable business can be conducted. The cooperation of the particular local authority will be required. If successful faeces collection/disposal services could be established in areas with UD toilets it would greatly enhance the social acceptability, and therefore the viability, of this sanitation technology. / Thesis (PhD(Civil Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Civil Engineering / unrestricted

A sanitation problem exists for people across the globe: basic human waste collection and treatment is inaccessible to much of the world’s population; and the status-quo gray infrastructure system of sanitation is unsustainable and unsuitable for widespread application. A paradigm shift is needed: this thesis makes the case for developing an Ecological Sanitation Transect to bring back the closed loop that connects consumption, waste excretion, sanitation, and food production. The Ecological Sanitation Transect is a synthesis of ecological sanitation, where human excreta is reused, and the urban transect, where development density is conceptualized along a continuum from rural to urban. Current literature related to transects, sanitation, and the links between them is investigated. An analytical overlay of ecological sanitation strategies onto the transect framework with accompanying visualizations is the resulting integration of these ideas. Case studies from across the transect are detailed. A concluding discussion is followed by directions for future research.

Though most commonly regarded as a revolutionary public health invention, the introduction of conventional wastewater sanitation systems has a mixed legacy in the U.S. A growing body of research links sewage-based sanitation systems with nationwide ecosystem degradation and an unsustainable dependence on vast inputs of materials and resources. In addition to contributing to chronic problems across the country, today these wastewater infrastructures are in various states of disrepair. The EPA estimates that at least $270 billion must be invested in coming years to prevent massive sanitary failures, but municipalities are increasingly unable to fund these expensive (re)investments in buried water-carriage sanitation infrastructures. Some U.S. communities are exploring the potential for community-scale decentralized sustainable or ecological sanitation (ecosan) solutions to meet their sanitary needs at a fraction of the cost of wastewater treatment schemes and with various additional benefits. This thesis examines the first two pilot applications of community ecosan in the New England region of the U.S. to understand the opportunities, challenges, and adaptation strategies that characterize these projects in the North American context. An emergent, mixed methods approach was developed over several years and involved personal engagement with the cases reviewed. The two pilot projects are compared and contrasted, and several themes are identified: First, the case studies indicate that specific conditions may have provided fertile contexts for the introduction of community-scale ecosan in the U.S. Second, various challenges have been posed to large scale ecosan projects in the U.S, but existing sanitary regulations and funding pathways present the most formidable barriers since they often deter innovative solutions. Third, these cases show that communities can develop myriad strategies to overcome these challenges and confront barriers to sanitation reform in the U.S. The study is framed by an inquiry into the role of professional planners and local community members in sustainable sanitation reforms. Findings indicate that individual planners can react both positively and negatively to proposals for community ecosan schemes, and that planners possess numerous tools to support community-led programs in navigating the significant barriers they face. Ultimately, though, communities must practice self-determination in sanitation reform planning. Final recommendations suggest that future community ecosan projects focus on incremental and complementary introduction, integrate research components, and incorporate effective ecosan residuals management schemes into their programming.

L’aménagement des systèmes d’assainissement conventionnel des eaux usées domestiques entraine actuellement la déplétion de ressources naturelles et la pollution des milieux récepteurs. L’utilisation d’une approche écosystémique plus globale telle que l’Assainissement Écologique, visant la fermeture du cycle de l’eau et des éléments nutritifs (phosphore et azote), contenus dans les excréments, par leur réutilisation à travers l’agriculture, permettrait d’améliorer de façon écologique cette situation. Toutefois, ce paradigme émergent est peu enseigné aux professionnels de l’aménagement responsables de sa planification, surtout au niveau de son application dans les pays développés nordiques. C’est pourquoi, afin d’améliorer la planification de ce type de système, il faut informer ces derniers des pratiques les plus adéquates à adopter. Pour y arriver, un scénario d’aménagement type a été développé à partir d’une revue exhaustive de la littérature et de l’analyse des données en se basant sur les recommandations de l’approche en fonction du contexte étudié. Ce scénario aidera les professionnels à mieux comprendre l’Assainissement Écologique et son aménagement. Il représente alors un point de départ pour les discussions interdisciplinaires et participatives que celui-ci requiert. En conclusion, il y a encore de nombreux manques d’informations concernant l’utilisation de traitements alternatifs dans les climats nordiques et l’acceptation de ceux-ci par les usagers. De plus, les cadres législatifs demeurent un obstacle considérable à l’aménagement d’un tel système. Cette recherche permet cependant de démystifier l’approche auprès des professionnels et pourrait aider à modifier certains cadres législatifs afin d’y intégrer sa philosophie. / At the moment, the planning of conventional sanitation systems for the treatment of domestic wastewater is responsible for the depletion of natural resources and pollution of receiving waters. A more holistic approach, respecting the local ecosystem, such as the new paradigm of Ecological Sanitation would greatly improve this situation. The idea pursues the closure of water and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus found in the human excreta) cycles through their reuse in agriculture. However, this new approach remains relatively unknown except for a few planning professionals responsible for the implementation of sanitation systems especially in the context of northern industrialized countries. Therefore to enhance the design of this kind of system, there is a need to educate and inform these professionals on more suitable treatment options to adopt. To achieve this, a planning scenario has been developed using a literature review and analysis of the data using a grid based on the recommendations of the paradigm when planned in this particular context. This scenario will help the professionals to better understand the philosophy of this approach and its implementation. It will represent a starting point for the interdisciplinary and participatory discussions that this approach demands. In conclusion, there is still a lack of knowledge surrounding the use of certain alternative options and their degree of acceptance by the public. Moreover, the legislation surrounding sanitation represents a significant obstacle to the implementation of this sort of alternative system. Still, this research helps the planning and design professionals demystify the new paradigm and may even be helpful in the modification of laws for the integration of its philosophy.