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Lohman HC, Morgan VL, Li Y, Zhang X, Rowles LS, Cook SM, Guest JS. DMsan: A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Framework and Package to Characterize Contextualized Sustainability of Sanitation and Resource Recovery Technologies. ACS ENVIRONMENTAL AU 2023; 3:179-192. [PMID: 37215438 PMCID: PMC10197171 DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.2c00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In resource-limited settings, conventional sanitation systems often fail to meet their goals-with system failures stemming from a mismatch among community needs, constraints, and deployed technologies. Although decision-making tools exist to help assess the appropriateness of conventional sanitation systems in a specific context, there is a lack of a holistic decision-making framework to guide sanitation research, development, and deployment (RD&D) of technologies. In this study, we introduce DMsan-an open-source multi-criteria decision analysis Python package that enables users to transparently compare sanitation and resource recovery alternatives and characterize the opportunity space for early-stage technologies. Informed by the methodological choices frequently used in literature, the core structure of DMsan includes five criteria (technical, resource recovery, economic, environmental, and social), 28 indicators, criteria weight scenarios, and indicator weight scenarios tailored to 250 countries/territories, all of which can be adapted by end-users. DMsan integrates with the open-source Python package QSDsan (quantitative sustainable design for sanitation and resource recovery systems) for system design and simulation to calculate quantitative economic (via techno-economic analysis), environmental (via life cycle assessment), and resource recovery indicators under uncertainty. Here, we illustrate the core capabilities of DMsan using an existing, conventional sanitation system and two proposed alternative systems for Bwaise, an informal settlement in Kampala, Uganda. The two example use cases are (i) use by implementation decision makers to enhance decision-making transparency and understand the robustness of sanitation choices given uncertain and/or varying stakeholder input and technology ability and (ii) use by technology developers seeking to identify and expand the opportunity space for their technologies. Through these examples, we demonstrate the utility of DMsan to evaluate sanitation and resource recovery systems tailored to individual contexts and increase transparency in technology evaluations, RD&D prioritization, and context-specific decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah
A. C. Lohman
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 3221 Newmark Civil Engineering
Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Victoria L. Morgan
- Institute
for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1101 W. Peabody Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yalin Li
- Institute
for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1101 W. Peabody Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- DOE
Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Xinyi Zhang
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 3221 Newmark Civil Engineering
Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Lewis S. Rowles
- Institute
for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1101 W. Peabody Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Sherri M. Cook
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Jeremy S. Guest
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 3221 Newmark Civil Engineering
Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Institute
for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1101 W. Peabody Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- DOE
Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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Cid CA, Abiola F, Starkl M. Can International Nonsewered Sanitation Standards Help Solve the Global Sanitation Crisis? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:699-706. [PMID: 34982549 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
To address one of the most severe global challenges affecting human health and the environment, two new voluntary product standards (ISO 30500 and ISO 31800) for nonsewered sanitation systems (NSSS) and fecal sludge treatment units (FSTUs) have been developed and published. While providing stringent voluntary product requirements for the containment and the treatment of human excreta with safe outputs (air, liquids, and solids), ISO 30500 and ISO 31800 make the inextricable connections between environmental emission thresholds, technical innovations, and sustainability aspects of NSSS and FSTUs. The purpose of this feature is to discuss these connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément A Cid
- Ronald and Maxine Linde Laboratory for Global Environmental Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Francine Abiola
- Interfaculty Center for Training and Environmental Research for Sustainable Development, University of Abomey-Calavi, 03 BP 1463 Jéricho, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Markus Starkl
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
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Sustainability Assessment for Wastewater Treatment Systems in Developing Countries. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14020241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
As the assessment of the economic, environmental, institutional, and social sustainability of wastewater treatment systems may have several conceivable goals and intended recipients, there are numerous different approaches. This paper surveys certain aspects of sustainability assessment that may be of interest to the planners of wastewater treatment systems. Here, the key criteria assess the system’s costs and financing, including its affordability for the users, the environmental impact, the benefits for health and hygiene, the cultural acceptance of the system and its recycled products, the technical functioning, and the administrative, political, and legal framework for its construction and operation. A multi-criteria approach may then be used to analyze possible trade-offs and identify the most suitable system for a certain location.
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Legge H, Halliday KE, Kepha S, Mcharo C, Witek-McManus SS, El-Busaidy H, Muendo R, Safari T, Mwandawiro CS, Matendechero SH, Pullan RL, Oswald WE. Patterns and Drivers of Household Sanitation Access and Sustainability in Kwale County, Kenya. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:6052-6064. [PMID: 33826310 PMCID: PMC8154356 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Many sanitation interventions suffer from poor sustainability. Failure to maintain or replace toilet facilities risks exposing communities to environmental pathogens, yet little is known about the factors that drive sustained access beyond project life spans. Using data from a cohort of 1666 households in Kwale County, Kenya, we investigated the factors associated with changes in sanitation access between 2015 and 2017. Sanitation access is defined as access to an improved or unimproved facility within the household compound that is functional and in use. A range of contextual, psychosocial, and technological covariates were included in logistic regression models to estimate their associations with (1) the odds of sustaining sanitation access and (2) the odds of gaining sanitation access. Over two years, 28.3% households sustained sanitation access, 4.7% lost access, 17.7% gained access, and 49.2% remained without access. Factors associated with increased odds of households sustaining sanitation access included not sharing the facility and presence of a solid washable slab. Factors associated with increased odds of households gaining sanitation access included a head with at least secondary school education, level of coarse soil fragments, and higher local sanitation coverage. Results from this study can be used by sanitation programs to improve the rates of initial and sustained adoption of sanitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Legge
- Faculty
of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London
School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine E. Halliday
- Faculty
of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London
School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Stella Kepha
- Faculty
of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London
School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
- Eastern
and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Carlos Mcharo
- Eastern
and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Stefan S. Witek-McManus
- Faculty
of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London
School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Hajara El-Busaidy
- Department
of Health, County Government of Kwale, P.O. Box 4-80403, Kwale, Kenya
| | - Redempta Muendo
- Department
of Health, County Government of Kwale, P.O. Box 4-80403, Kwale, Kenya
| | - Th’uva Safari
- Eastern
and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Charles S. Mwandawiro
- Eastern
and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Sultani H. Matendechero
- Division
of Vector Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases Unit, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 30016-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Rachel L. Pullan
- Faculty
of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London
School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - William E. Oswald
- Faculty
of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London
School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
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Trimmer JT, Miller DC, Byrne DM, Lohman HAC, Banadda N, Baylis K, Cook SM, Cusick RD, Jjuuko F, Margenot AJ, Zerai A, Guest JS. Re-Envisioning Sanitation As a Human-Derived Resource System. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:10446-10459. [PMID: 32867485 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Sanitation remains a global challenge, both in terms of access to toilet facilities and resource intensity (e.g., energy consumption) of waste treatment. Overcoming barriers to universal sanitation coverage and sustainable resource management requires approaches that manage bodily excreta within coupled human and natural systems. In recent years, numerous analytical methods have been developed to understand cross-disciplinary constraints, opportunities, and trade-offs around sanitation and resource recovery. However, without a shared language or conceptual framework, efforts from individual disciplines or geographic contexts may remain isolated, preventing the accumulation of generalized knowledge. Here, we develop a version of the social-ecological systems framework modified for the specific characteristics of bodily excreta. This framework offers a shared vision for sanitation as a human-derived resource system, where people are part of the resource cycle. Through sanitation technologies and management strategies, resources including water, organics, and nutrients accumulate, transform, and impact human experiences and natural environments. Within the framework, we establish a multitiered lexicon of variables, characterized by breadth and depth, to support harmonized understanding and development of models and analytical approaches. This framework's refinement and use will guide interdisciplinary study around sanitation to identify guiding principles for sanitation that advance sustainable development at the nature-society interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T Trimmer
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Daniel C Miller
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Diana M Byrne
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Hannah A C Lohman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Noble Banadda
- Department of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Katherine Baylis
- Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1301 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Sherri M Cook
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Roland D Cusick
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Fulgensio Jjuuko
- Community Integrated Development Initiatives, P.O. Box 692, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Andrew J Margenot
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1201 S. Dorner Dr., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Assata Zerai
- Department of Sociology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Jeremy S Guest
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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