Development of Effective Urinal Odour Traps for Conventional Household Urinals, Urine Diversion Dry Toilets (UDDT) and Community Urine Collection Tanks

Ababu T Tiruneh

doi:10.11648/j.sr.20160403.12

Abstract

Control of odour from urinal installations is an important task from considerations of health, hygiene and acceptability or use of these installations. Because of the problems associated with cost, technology and proprietary nature of many of the marketed technologies for odour control, there is a need to develop simple, easily adaptable and low cost technologies for odour traps in urinal installations. A research work was carried out for the development of simple and low cost odour control using devices that work on the principles of either buoyant force or gravity push combined with elastic band extension. The conceptual development of the odour trapping device arrangement and of the odour trapping mechanism is presented. The scientific model for determining the optimum elastic band extension for effective odour control is developed. Experiments were performed to verify the theoretical model relating force required for opening the odour trap with the optimum elastic band extension length. The experimental results were also used to determine the model parameters through regression. Different types of odour control devices were developed and installed to adapt to differing urinal installations including household level urinals, urine diversion dry toilets (UDDT) and community urine collection storage tanks. The devices, besides being simple and low cost, have more or less been found to work satisfactorily and effectively control odour from the urinal installations that they have been provided to.

Highlights

Urinals are widely present in the traditional male toilets of society and as component of urine separation in urine diversion toilets (UDDT) used by both males and females [1]
Odours generated from urine present in toilets are challenging problems which affect the aesthetic and hygienic environment as well as the use and acceptability of toilets
To develop simple, low cost and adaptable odour trap solutions that can be flexibly provided to urinals operating under varying toilet environments

Summary

Introduction

Urinals are widely present in the traditional male toilets of society and as component of urine separation in urine diversion toilets (UDDT) used by both males and females [1]. Apart from convenience, space and cost, the drive for nutrient recovery has led to increase in the use of source separated waste collection system such as urine diversion dry toilets that have separate bowl component for urine collection [4]. Water flushed urinals are traditionally common forms of urinals where water is used to flush away the urine and thereby control odour. They exist to date with varying designs that are progressively aimed at reducing the quantity of water used for flushing. Urine diversion dry toilets are one example where the urine diversion forms waterless urinal or separations that use low volume water for flushing residual

Methods

Results

Conclusion