UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

WEEK 4: RURAL EXCRETA DISPOSAL

I. Introduction
Sanitation is therefore a critical barrier to disease transmission. Health improvement comes from
the proper use of sanitation facilities, not simply their physical presence, and they may be abandoned
if the level of service does not meet the social and cultural needs of community members at an
affordable cost.
According to World Health Organization, in 2017, 45% of the global population (3.4 billion people)
used a safely managed sanitation service. 31% of the global population (2.4 billion people) used private
sanitation facilities connected to sewers from which wastewater was treated. 14% of the global
population (1.0 billion people) used toilets or latrines where excreta were disposed of in situ. 74% of
the world’s population (5.5 billion people) used at least a basic sanitation service. 2.0 billion people still
do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines. Of these, 673 million still defecate in the
open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes or into open bodies of water. At least 10% of the
world’s population is thought to consume food irrigated by wastewater.

I. Objectives
After completion of this course the student should be able to:

a. identify the importance and methods of excreta disposal,

b. acquire fundamental knowledge of wastewater disposal and treatment process, and
c. develop an environmental plan using an appropriate technology for excreta and
wastewater disposal.
II. Wastewater Characteristics and its sources

Wastewater comes from ordinary living processes: bathing, toilet flushing, laundry, dishwashing, etc. It
comes from residential and domestic sources. Commercial wastewater comes from non-domestic
sources such as beauty salon, taxidermy, refinishing of furniture, cleaning of musical instruments, or auto
body repair shops. Such wastewater can be toxic and needs special treatment or disposal.

Wastewater is broken into two categories, depending upon the source:

1. Gray water: Gray water is from showers, baths, whirlpool tubs, washing machines, dishwashers
and sinks other than the kitchen sink.
2. Black water: Black water is from toilets and kitchen sinks.

Characteristics Sources
Physical Properties
Color Domestic and industrial wastes, natural decay of organic materials

Odor Decomposing wastewater, industrial wastes

Solids Domestic water supply, domestic and industrial wastes, soil
erosion, inflow-infiltration

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Temperature Domestic and industrial wastes

Chemical constituents
Organic
Carbohydrates Domestic, commercial, and industrial wastes
Fats, oils, and grease Domestic, commercial, and industrial wastes
Pesticides Agricultural wastes
Phenols Industrial wastes
Proteins Domestic and commercial wastes
Surfactants Domestic and industrial wastes
Others Natural decay of organic materials
Inorganic
Alkalinity Domestic wastes, domestic water supply, groundwater infiltration

Chlorides Domestic water supply, domestic wastes, groundwater

infiltration, water softeners
Heavy metals Industrial wastes
Nitrogen Domestic and agricultural wastes
pH Industrial wastes
Phosphorus Domestic and industrial wastes, natural runoff
Sulfur Domestic water supply, domestic and industrial wastes

Toxic compounds Industrial wastes

Gases
Hydrogen sulfide Decomposition of domestic wastes
Methane Decomposition of domestic wastes
Oxygen Domestic water supply, surface-water infiltration

Biological constituents
Animals Open watercourses and treatment plants
Plants Open watercourses and treatment plants
Protista Domestic wastes. Treatment plants
Viruses Domestic wastes

III. Wastewater Treatment System

Wastewater treatment facilities are designed to enhance the natural purification cycle that exists
in natural waters and to eliminate pollutants in wastewater that may otherwise interfere with the
receiving waters' natural process.

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Environmental engineers and aquatic scientists have been designing methods for handling
wastewater for more than a century. It has developed and implemented many proprietary treatment
processes and treatment plants for products. The aim of wastewater treatment processes is to generate
safe effluents and to protect the atmosphere, natural resources and public health.

A. Preliminary Treatment Systems

a. Preliminary systems are designed to physically detach or cut the larger suspended
and floating materials, and eliminate the heavy inorganic solids and excessive
quantities of oil and grease
b. Preliminary treatment is committed to ensure the pumping equipment and the
subsequent treatment systems
c. Preliminary systems include flow measurement devices and regulators
(equalization of flows), racks and screens, comminuting devices (grinders, cutters,
and shredders), flow equalization, grit chambers, pre-aeration tanks, and
(possibly) chlorination

B. Primary Treatment Systems

a. The primary aim of treatment is to reduce the wastewater flow velocity enough
to enable the settling of suspended solids, i.e. to eliminate settleable materials.
Skimming also takes off floating objects
b. Thus, a primary treatment device may be called a settling tank (or basin). Settling
tanks can be classified into four classes, due to differences in design and
operation: plain sedimentation with mechanical sludge removal, two story tanks
(Imhoff tank, and several patented units), up flow clarifiers with mechanical
sludge removal, and septic tanks
c. When sewage enters a treatment plant, it flows through a screen, eliminating
large floating objects such as rags and sticks that may clog pipes or damage
equipment. This falls through a grit chamber after water has been filtered, where
cinders, sand, and small stones fall to the floor. Especially in communities with
combined sewer systems, where sand or gravel are essential
d. When sewage enters a treatment plant, it flows through a screen, eliminating
large floating objects such as rags and sticks that may clog pipes or damage
equipment. This falls through a grit chamber after water has been filtered, where
cinders, sand, and small stones fall to the floor. Especially in communities with
combined sewer systems, where sand or gravel are essential
e. After completion of inspection and elimination of the dust, water often comprises
of organic and inorganic matter along with other suspended solids. These solids
are minute particles that can be removed from sewage in a sedimentation tank

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

f. As the speed of flow through one of these tanks is reduced, the suspended solids
slowly fall to the bottom where they form a mass of solids called formerly sludge
(raw primary bio-solids). Bio-solids are typically collected by pumping from the
tanks, after which they can be further processed for use as fertilizer, or disposed
of in a filled or incinerated field.

C. Secondary Treatment Systems

a. After primary treatment the wastewater still contains organic matter in

suspended, colloidal, and dissolved states. Before discharging to collect waters,
these organic matters should be removed to prevent interfering with future
downstream consumers.

b. Secondary treatment is used to extract the soluble organic matter and the
colloidal matter that remains after primary treatment. Although the removal of
these materials can be achieved by physicochemical means allowing further
removal of suspended solids, the biological method is generally referred to as
secondary treatment

c. By making use of the bacteria in it, the secondary treatment stage extracts about
85 percent of the organic matter in sewage. The principal treatment techniques
used in secondary treatment are the filter trickling and the activated sludge
process

d. The primary stage where it flows or is pumped to a system using one of these
methods. A trickling filter is essentially a three to six-foot-deep bed of stones
through which sewage passes

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

e. More recently, in trickling fields, interlocking bits of corrugated plastic or other

synthetic media have been used as well. Bacteria gather and multiply on these
stones until they can consume most of the organic matter. For further application
the filtered water trickles out of the pipes. The partially treated wastewater flows
from a trickling pipe to another sedimentation tank to remove excess bacteria

f. Effluent from the sedimentation tank is normally disinfected with chlorine before
discharging into the receiving waters to complete secondary treatment. To
destroy pathogenic bacteria and that odour, chlorine is pumped into the water.
Chlorination is handled properly, killing more than 99 per cent of the dangerous
bacteria in an effluent

D. Advance Treatment System

a. Advanced wastewater treatment is characterized as the methods and processes
that remove more wastewater pollutants than traditional treatment. Any method
that follows the original, or that modifies or removes a step in the traditional
cycle, may be subject to the term advanced care.
b. Advanced systems use several systems for treating drinking water. Which include
wastewater chemical coagulation, wedge-wire screens, granular media filters,
diatomaceous earth filters, micro screening, and ultrafiltration and nanofiltration,
which are used to extract suspended solids in colloidal and fine form.

IV. Excreta Disposal: Methods and Technology Used

Infected human feces cause pollution of the environment and sources of water supply. It attracts
other species of flies to lay their eggs, breed, feed on the material being exposed, and bring infection.
Poor treatment of excreta is also related to a lack of sufficient water sources and other sanitation
facilities. The occurrence of a wide number of diseases when appropriate disposal systems may occur:
This group of diseases includes cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid fever, dysenteries, infant diarrhea,
hookworm disease, ascariasis, bilharziasis, and other related parasitic infections. Such illnesses put a
heavy hand on infants whose immunity is poor and whose vigor is often not adequate to cope with an
infection after it has been detected.

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

A. Pit Latrines

1. Simple Pit Latrines – the most commonly used technology adopted in emergency scenarios. This
is because it is simple, quick to construct and generally inexpensive. The pit should be 2m or more
in depth and covered by a latrine slab. The slab should be firmly supported on all sides and raised
above the surrounding ground level to prevent surface water entering the pit. If the soil is
unstable, the pit should be lined to prevent collapse. A squat or drop hole is provided in the slab
which allows excreta to fall directly into the pit. This can be covered with a removable lid to
minimize flies and odour. It is best that the water table is high, soil is stable to dig or ground is not
rocky to prevent odour problems.

2. Deep Trench Latrines – This method is same as pit latrines, the difference with this is it involve
several cubicles above a single trench. The maximum length of trench is 6m, providing six cubicles.
Trenches should be about 0.8m wide and at least the top of 0.5m of the pit. The cleaning and
maintenance are the responsibility of the user for long-term use.

3. Ventilated Improved Pit latrine - is designed to overcome some of the problems with traditional
latrine designs, but it is more expensive than a sample pit latrine. It has a vent pipe from the pit to

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

above the roof of the building. Offensive odours from the pit thus pass through the vent pipe and do
not enter the building. The location of VIP latrines is important: unless a clear flow of air is maintained
across the top of the vent, the ventilation system may not be effective. VIP latrines should therefore
be located away from trees or high buildings that may limit airflow

B. Septic Tanks - is an on-site sanitation that provides the convenience of sewerage system, it is
usually linked to flush toilets and can receive domestic wastewater or sullage. Since flush toilets use
large amount of

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

water it is usually appropriate for households with water piped into the home.

Tanks are usually built, in place, of reinforced concrete and are rectangular in shape. Liquid depths
are 4 to 6 ft, and lengths are usually slightly more than twice the width. The optional sloping bottom
shown in the image makes removal sludge slightly more convenient. As shown in the image,
rectangular tank should be provided by a cover. This requires a manhole. An alternative is to cast the
cover of reinforced-concrete slab to 8 to 12-inch-wide and to place these across the short dimension
of the tank. The slabs can easily be removed when cleaning or inspection is necessary. For ease of
lifting, a loop or handle of reinforcing steel should be cast near each end of each slab.

If the tank is to discharge into a tile disposal field greater than about 500 lin ft of tile, a dosing
tank and siphon should be used in conjunction with the septic tank. The image below shows such
combination. The rush sewage which occurs when the siphon discharges provides better distribution
throughout the system, and the resting periods, while the dosing tank is filling, are favorable o
maintaining aerobic conditions in the receiving soil. The dosing tank should have a capacity equal to
about 60 to 75% of the interior capacity of the tile to be dosed at one time, and it should be so
designed that the automatic dosing siphon will discharge once in 3 or 4 hours.

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If the tank is to serve 1,000 ft or more of the tile, the dosing tank should be provided with two
siphons to discharge alternately, each to serve one half of the tile field. Siphons require an operating
head varying from 1 to 5 ft. They may also require attention if the vents clog,

All wastes in sewerage or septic tank systems require treatment before disposal, so that surface
water and groundwater sources are not contaminated and communities are not exposed to health
risks from untreated sewage. This can be accomplished either through high-cost conventional
treatment systems, or through a series of waste stabilization ponds (or lagoons).

In designing a septic tank, in general, the length of the first compartment should be twice the
length of the second. Guidelines for the sizing of a septic tank are given below:

Total tank volume (C) = clear liquid retention volume (A) + sludge and scum volume (B)

5. Aquaprivies - An aquaprivy is similar to a septic tank; it can be connected to flush toilets and take
most household wastewater. This consists of a large tank with a seal of water created in the tank by a
simple down pipe to avoid odor and fly problems. The downside is that water needs to be applied every
day to preserve the seal of water, and this is always hard to do when water is piped into the house. To
dispose of the effluent the tank is attached to a soak away.
The aquaprivy tank is situated directly below the foundation, unlike a septic tank, but it also needs
regular emptying and must be accessible to a vacuum tanker. Aquaprivies are costly and offer no real
benefits in comparison with pour – flush latrines.

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

V. Refuse Disposal and Methods

According to the code of sanitation in the Philippines, refuse is an inclusive term for all solid waste items
like garbage, rubbish, ashes, night dirt, manure, dead animals, street sweeping and industrial waste.

A. Responsibilities of Municipalities and Cities

 Cities and municipalities shall provide an effective and efficient system for the collection,
transportation and disposal of refuse within their jurisdictions in a manner authorized by the
local health authority
 Refuse shall be disposed through municipal collection service. If the service is not available.
disposal shall be by incineration, burying, sanitary landfill or any method approved by the
local health authority
 Refuse shall not be thrown in any street sidewalk, yard, park or any body of water. It shall be
stored in a suitable container while awaiting its final disposal
 The streets shall be kept clean by the residents or land owners who line the streets from the
property line to the center of the street and from one property to another
 The local authority concerned shall keep parks, plazas and streets that are adjacent to the
public building clean

B. Methods
 Recycling
- Recycling helps to turn waste from industrial production into items of its own
type. Recycling of paper, glass, aluminum, and plastics is popular. Reusing the
wastes is environmentally friendly, rather than introducing them to nature.
- However, processing technologies are pretty expensive”

 Incineration
- Incineration features the combustion of waste to transform it into basic
components, with the heat generated being trapped for energy derivation.
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Gasses and inert ash are natural by-products. Pollution is caused by the different
degrees that depend on the quality of the combusted waste and the configuration
of the incinerator. Use of filters can check pollution
- Burning waste is rather cheap and the volume of waste is reduced by around 90%.
Hydroponic solutions may be facilitated by the nutrient rich ash derived from
burning organic waste. Through using this process, hazardous and toxic wastes
can be easily removed
- The extracted energy can be used to cook, heat and to supply turbine fuel.
Nonetheless, to monitor the unintended leakage of micro level pollutants, such
as dioxins from the incinerator lines, strict caution and due diligence should be
practiced

 Composting
- It involves decomposition of organic wastes by microbes by allowing the waste to
stay accumulated in a pit for a long period of time. The nutrient rich compost can
be used as plant manure. However, the process is slow and consumes a significant
amount of land. Biological reprocessing tremendously improves the fertility of
the soil

 Sanitary Landfill
- It entails dumping waste into a landfill. The base is packed with a protective lining
that acts as a barrier between waste and groundwater and prevents hazardous
contaminants from being dispersed into the water environment. Waste materials
undergo compaction and are then covered with an earth film
- Absorbent soil is preferred to minimize the vulnerability of accidental toxic
chemical leakage. Landfills should be created in places with low groundwater
levels and away from flood sources. However, the management of sanitary
landfills requires a fair amount of skilled labor

 Disposal in Ocean or Sea

- Wastes generally of radioactive nature are dumped in the oceans far from active
human habitats. However, environmentalists are challenging this method, as
such an action is believed to spell doom for aquatic life by depriving the ocean
waters of its inherent nutrients

 Plasma Gasification
- Plasma gasification is a form of waste disposal which is environmentally friendly.
It is used to transform product recyclables collected at the landfill from municipal
solid waste into electricity
- The carbon-based materials are subjected to high temperatures and transformed
into syn-gas, a gas that can either be combusted directly or further processed into
chemicals and higher-grade fuels. The non-organic portion of the waste is
converted into slag-cooled, tightly bound solid waste that can be used as a raw
material in building. Industries aiming to reach zero waste tend to dispose of the
waste disposal method

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UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

VI. Summary

Wastewater comes from ordinary living activities such as bathing, toilet flushing, cooking, laundry
service, etc. Wastewater treatment has its own procedure: starts with the preliminary, primary,
secondary and tertiary care. The Primary aim of treatment is to reduce the strength of the wastewater
flow enough to facilitate the settlement of suspended solids. Secondary treatment is used to remove
organic soluble matter and colloidal matter that is left after primary treatment. There are also cases
where Advance Treatment System is used, defined as the technologies and procedures that remove
more contaminants from wastewater than conventional treatment.

Authorities need to ensure that they provide an appropriate and reliable disposal method. Excrete
disposal methods may be carried out by means of latrines: plain, deep trench and ventilated, septic
tanks typically installed in households, and lastly aqua-privates similar to a septic tank.

While our disposal of refuse, which comes from our solid waste such as garbage, dead animals,
street sweeping and so on, is achieved through: recycling, incineration, composting, sanitary landfill,
ocean / sea disposal and plasma gasification. Prevention or elimination of waste generation is the most
feasible approach and is less expensive.

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