Abstract
Pit latrines are the most common form of on-site sanitation, but are blighted by the problem of pit fill-up. Little is known about what factors and conditions affect decomposition of pit content and thus govern pit filling, but the liquid–mass balance is the key factor. Under laboratory conditions the effect of inorganic and biological additives and the effect of physical chemical factors on solids hydrolysis of black water and human faeces were investigated to establish the potential of these to extend pit latrine lifetime. Additives did little or nothing to enhance net solids hydrolysis in batch tests or to reduce pit fill height in miniature simulated pit latrines. Physical chemical factors such as redox condition and initial pH increased solids hydrolysis, whereas temperature and substrate moisture did little. Since additives need contact with the substrate to act, measurements on faeces crust formation speed and strength were performed and showed that crusts formed within three hours and persisted af...
Highlights
An estimated 1.77 billion people globally use pit latrines for daily containment of 2.1 billion kilograms of urine and faeces (Graham and Polizzotto, 2013)
Of all the tested additives, a significant positive ANS% was found for Rhodococcus pyridinivorans with an ANS% of +5% (2) at 21 days aerobic condition, which is not a likely scenario for a pit latrine, and with llama and ring tail lemur faeces extracts at aerobic-anaerobic conditions with an ANS% of 4% (0) and +2% (1) respectively
The effect of physical chemical conditions such as redox condition, pH, temperature, and water content on faecal solids hydrolysis was tested with black water or faeces as substrate without any additives
Summary
An estimated 1.77 billion people globally use pit latrines for daily containment of 2.1 billion kilograms of urine and faeces (Graham and Polizzotto, 2013). Pit lifetime is determined by in- and out-flows in the latrine and by pit content conversions This ‘working’ of pit latrines is difficult to define and to investigate, which is partially due to the variation in influent composition and loading, and conditions in the pits (Buckley et al, 2008; Nwaneri et al, 2008; Torondel, 2010). Defining whether a latrine is ‘good’ or ‘efficient’ or ‘bad’ is more or less determined by the amount of human resources needed to prevent it from becoming a health, smell, Without human intervention, material can exit pit latrines as gas, but mainly does so as liquid since the main constituent of human excrements is water: 93–99 per cent water in urine and 66–85 per cent water in faeces (Torondel, 2010). Pit emptying poses a health hazard to the pit-emptying personnel and via spillage during transport from the pit to a waste disposal or treatment site (Still, 2002; Buckley et al, 2008)
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