University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 3-16-2015 Solids Accumulation Rates of Latrines at Rural Schools in Nimba County, Liberia Caraline M. Murphy University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Civil Engineering Commons Scholar Commons Citation Murphy, Caraline M., "Solids Accumulation Rates of Latrines at Rural Schools in Nimba County, Liberia" (2015). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5545 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Solids Accumulation Rates of Latrines at Rural Schools in Nimba County, Liberia by Caraline M. Murphy A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering University of South Florida Major Professor: James R. Mihelcic, Ph.D. Maya Trotz, Ph.D. Jaime Corvin, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 16, 2015 Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa, sanitation, aerobic degradation, anaerobic degradation, pit contents, feminine waste Copyright © 2015, Caraline M. Murphy DEDICATION To the community of Saclepea City, Nimba County, Liberia. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my friends and family in Saclepea, Nimba County, Liberia for accepting me with open arms and hearts into their community for two years. To Dr. Mihelcic, I want to extend the greatest gratitude for pushing me, encouraging me, chastising me when needed, editing and just being a wonderful support in this endeavor. Thank you for never giving up on me and helping me succeed despite the setbacks. I would also like to thank Dr. Corvin and Dr. Trotz for their time, energy and support. I want to thank my roommates, Rebecca Martinez and Amanda Copple, for helping me in so many aspects and supporting me, both emotionally and professionally, in our Peace Corps service. I also want to thank Sarah Ness. Not only were you a pillar of strength and one of my best friend’s in Liberia, but you have greatly motivated and encouraged me for as long as I have known you. To Fidel Hamoud, you have been an amazing source of consistent and positive support to me, and I love you. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their love and support. Thank you mom for letting me pursue my journey in Liberia even though you were scared and nervous, and my dad for your unwavering support and coming to meet the people who became my family in Liberia. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0965743. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 Sanitation and the Developing World ........................................................................... 1 Sanitation and Sub-Saharan Africa ............................................................................... 2 Sanitation and Poverty .................................................................................................. 4 Sanitation in Schools – Sub-Saharan Africa and Developing World ........................... 5 Motivation ..................................................................................................................... 9 Objectives ................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................13 Liberian Context ......................................................................................................... 13 Improved Sanitation Facilities – Latrines ................................................................... 15 Simple/Traditional Pit Latrines .....................................................................16 Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrines ........................................................17 Pour-Flush Latrines .......................................................................................18 Composting Latrines .....................................................................................20 Composition and Characteristics of Human Waste (Excreta) .................................... 21 Menstrual Fluid Characteristics and Feminine Waste ..................................22 Latrine Design ............................................................................................................. 26 Solids Accumulation Rates ......................................................................................... 32 Fecal Generation Rates .................................................................................32 Additional Factors Affecting Accumulation Rates .......................................36 Degradation of Solids and Transport of Liquids in the Pit ......................................... 36 Literature of Solids Accumulation Rates .................................................................... 40 Pit Additives................................................................................................................ 46 CHAPTER 3: METHODS .............................................................................................................48 Site Description ........................................................................................................... 48 School Descriptions .................................................................................................... 50 Johnny Voker High School (JVS).................................................................51 Johnny Voker High School (JVS) Latrines ..................................................52 ULICA Mission School ................................................................................53 ULICA Mission School Latrines ..................................................................54 Red Cross School ..........................................................................................55 i Red Cross School Latrines ............................................................................55 Experimental Design ................................................................................................... 56 Latrine Characteristics and Preliminary Measurements ...............................56 Measuring Apparatus ....................................................................................59 Measuring Methodology ............................................................................................. 61 Depth Measurements ....................................................................................61 Number of Users ...........................................................................................62 Safety Protocols ............................................................................................63 Methods for Measurement of Accumulation Rates in Literature ............................... 64 Methods for Modelling of Accumulation Rates in Pit Latrines .................................. 67 Brouckaert et al. (2013) –South Africa Study ..............................................67 Todman et al. (2014) –Tanzania Study .........................................................72 Best Methods for Measuring Accumulation Rates in Rural Areas ............................. 76 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .............................................................................78 Reasons for Lack of Slab to Pit Content Depth Data .................................................. 78 Depth of Pit Contents .................................................................................................. 79 Estimated Accumulation Rates ................................................................................... 85 Potential Issues and Limitations ................................................................................. 85 Pit Content Samples and Depth Measurements ............................................86 Sample Size Limitations ...............................................................................87 Test Subjects and Lack of Survey Data ........................................................88 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................91 Overview and Conclusions ......................................................................................... 91 Practical Implications of the Study ............................................................................. 93 5.3 Recommendation for Future Research.......................................................................