ABSTRACT

Tiger Toilets use a worm-based ecosystem to degrade human waste and have recently been demonstrated as a cost-effective innovation in on-site sanitation. The benefits over traditional pit latrines include slower fill rate, fewer odours, and safer emptying. However, a question remains around how to measure the rate of accumulation of vermi-compost and predict the fill rate into the future. In this study, fifteen Tiger Toilets of varying installation ages in the villages of Jejuri, Bhalgudi and Walhe/Adachiwadi, in Maharashtra province, India were investigated to determine the rate of filling. A laser measure was used to define cross-sections of the depth to vermi-compost layers within the Tiger Toilet digesters. Bench-scale column tests were used to estimate liquid infiltration rates from the digesters into the surrounding soils. Changes over time in the interior digester conditions were photographed and a video camera was installed in selected digesters to confirm and observe the worm activity in situ under red light. Calculated fill rates of the Tiger Toilets were significantly lower compared to estimated fill rates of traditional pit latrines of a similar size and usage rate. The infiltration of the liquid fraction of the waste into the surrounding soil was observed to be a key factor in filling.

摘要

老虎厕所使用基于蠕虫的生态系统来降解人类排泄物，最近已被证明是现场卫生方面的一种具有成本效益的创新。与传统坑式厕所相比的好处包括更慢的填充速度、更少的气味和更安全的排空。然而，关于如何测量蚯蚓堆肥的积累率和预测未来的填充率仍然存在一个问题。在这项研究中，对印度马哈拉施特拉省 Jejuri、Bhalgudi 和 Walhe/Adachiwadi 村的 15 个不同安装年​​限的老虎厕所进行了调查，以确定填充率。使用激光测量来确定老虎厕所消化器内蚯蚓堆肥层深度的横截面。使用台式柱测试来估计从消化池进入周围土壤的液体渗透率。红灯下原地。与类似大小和使用率的传统坑式厕所的估计填充率相比，老虎厕所的计算填充率显着降低。观察到废物的液体部分渗透到周围土壤中是填充的关键因素。