Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

The United Nations aims to have sanitation access for all by 2030. Lack of sanitation is a global crisis tied to water availability, environmental pollution, human health, personal dignity, and nutrient loss. This dissertation focuses on a sustainable sanitation solution for coastal areas, namely on-site sanitation with urine diversion and seawater toilet flushing. The main concepts explored are salinity impacts on microbial communities in treatment systems, ability of a septic-tank/intermittent sand bioreactor system to treat seawater-salinity septic-tank effluent and the barriers and facilitators to adoption of urine diversion dry toilets. These three concepts answer fundamental questions about dilution requirements for seawater wastewater and social acceptance of urine diversion systems. Results show that urine diversion seawater toilet flushing with septic tanks and intermittent sand bioreactor treatment systems could feasibly produce discharge-quality effluent and gain social acceptance.

Committee: Karen Mancl (Advisor); Jay Martin (Committee Member); Linda Lobao (Committee Member); Ann Christy (Committee Member) Subjects: Bioinformatics; Ecology; Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Science; Microbiology; Public Health; Sanitation; Sociology; Sustainability; Water Resource Management

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2022, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

There is a gap in access to sanitation in the US, particularly in rural areas such as Central Appalachia. The use of constructed wetlands as an alternative to onsite domestic wastewater treatment is one was to alleviate wastewater management challenges in small rural communities and work to close the sanitation gap. This study aimed to determine if year-round onsite wastewater treatment performance of constructed wetlands could be enhanced with the use of substrate and specialized operational modifications. Three constructed wetlands, with distinct substrates, organic, mineral, and combination, were used as treatment systems for a 4-month period, half above 15°C and half below 15°C. Results indicated a statistical difference between substrates in cold temperatures for TP and TKN and removal of many parameters in line with traditional wastewater treatment methods. This research supports the use of year-round wetlands to perform in the Central Appalachian region.

Committee: Michele Morrone Dr. (Committee Member); Natalie Kruse Dr. (Committee Chair); Guy Riefler Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Engineering; Environmental Health; Environmental Justice; Environmental Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Food Science and Technology

Traditional wet sanitation methods can be problematic in dry food processing environments, as the introduction of moisture can encourage microbial growth. This dissertation evaluates the efficacy of superheated steam (SHS) as a potential dry sanitation tool for microbial inactivation, its environmental impact, and treatment uniformity. First, the inactivation kinetics of Enterococcus faecium in peanut butter were studied under different water activities (0.19-0.80) and SHS temperatures (125°C-250°C). The D-value of E. faecium was significantly affected by the SHS temperature and the peanut butter water activity (p < 0.05). SHS rapidly inactivated E. faecium in 0.19 aw of peanut butter, achieving a 5-log reduction within 94.16 s at 250°C. To investigate the sanitation efficacy of SHS on spores, Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores were placed on selected surfaces (stainless steel, rubber, and concrete) coated with wheat flour, and treated at temperatures ranging from 125°C to 250°C. G. stearothermophilus on stainless steel were inactivated faster than those on concrete and rubber due to slower dehydration of wheat flour on stainless steel (p < 0.05). The times required for a 5-log reduction at 250°C were 180 s and 240 s, on stainless steel and concrete surfaces, respectively. The combined effects of UV-C radiation (256 nm) and SHS treatment (180°C) on the inactivation of E. faecium and G. stearothermophilus were investigated. In the absence of food residues, a 3-log reduction for E. faecium and G. stearothermophilus required 30 s and 300 s of SHS treatment, and 10 mJ/cm² and 500 mJ/cm² of UV-C irradiation, respectively. The research revealed an antagonistic effect when UV-C followed SHS pretreatment in the presence of food residues. Conversely, an additive effect was observed in inactivating E. faecium and G. stearothermophilus when SHS followed UV-C pretreatment. A combined UV-C pretreatment (8 mJ/cm²) and SHS achieved more than a 3-log reduction of E. fae (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: VM Balasubramaniam (Advisor); Osvaldo H Campanella (Committee Member); Ahmed E Yousef (Committee Member); Sudhir K Sastry (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Food Science

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1964, Biological Sciences

Committee: William B. Jackson (Advisor) Subjects: Biology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1963, Biological Sciences

Committee: William B. Jackson (Advisor) Subjects: Biology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Human Ecology: Human Nutrition

Hydroponic vegetable production is increasing globally, specifically leafy greens. There are few science-based recommendations to ensure food safety of hydroponic lettuce. There is limited evidence for establishing water management strategies and no validated sanitation protocols to ensure elimination of human pathogens. The first objective was to determine the survival of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium in nutrient film technique (NFT) systems during the lifecycle of lettuce under sporadic and extreme contamination events. The second objective was to determine effectiveness of sanitizers to mitigate Salmonella Typhimurium on contaminated hydroponic surfaces. Nutrient film technique systems were inoculated with L. monocytogenes or Salmonella Typhimurium simulating sporadic (~1x104 CFU/mL) and extreme (~1x107 CFU/mL) contamination conditions. Nutrient solution, rockwool, roots, and leaves were collected at seven time points during the lettuce lifecycle for pathogen detection and enumeration. To determine sanitizer effectiveness, commercial hydroponic surfaces (ABS plastic embedded with UV inhibitors, food grade ultraviolet (UV) stabilized polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and PVC) were inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium (~1x104 CFU/mL) and treated with common greenhouse sanitizers. After treatment, surface swabs were collected from the edges and corners, and the pathogen was enumerated. Both pathogens persisted in NFT systems throughout the growth cycle. Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium concentrations were consistently high in rockwool/root (0.94±1.15 Log CFU/g – 4.35±1.23 Log CFU/g; 0.88±1.27 Log CFU/g – 6.58±0.40 Log CFU/g) samples compared to nutrient solution (0.05±0.18 Log CFU/mL – 5.71±0.23 Log CFU/mL). Both pathogens were detectable on lettuce leaves throughout the growth cycle. The sanitizers Zerotol (rate/contact time; 5%/10min), SaniDate12.0 (200ppm/5min), Virkon (1%/10min), KleenGrow (2%/10min), and GreenShield (5%/10m (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sanja Ilic (Advisor); Melanie Lewis Ivey (Committee Member); Ouliana Ziouzenkova (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Biology; Microbiology; Nutrition; Plant Pathology; Sanitation

Master of Science in Environmental Science, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geology and Environmental Sciences

The water quality of the historically industrial Mahoning River continues to be impacted by non-point pollution sources from the watershed. We evaluated the current surface water quality of four important Mahoning River sub-watersheds: Meander Creek, Crab Creek, Lower Mosquito Creek, and Yellow Creek using the National Sanitation Foundation water quality index (NSF-WQI). Water quality parameters measured include, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia, soluble reactive phosphates, total phosphorus, nitrate-nitrogen, total suspended solids, volatile solids, total dissolved solids, total coliform, Escherichia coli and biochemical oxygen demand. All of the samples were taken during the summer at low flow conditions. NSF-WQI of four sub-watersheds are compared along with their land cover types identified as residential, commercial, industrial, forested, and agricultural areas. The NSF-WQI for Lower Mosquito Creek was found to be the highest at 70 and Crab Creek having the lowest at 64.5, respectively being in good and medium according to NSF-WQI range (0-100). Also, the Post-hoc Tukey HSD test indicates Crab Creek is statistically significantly lower than Lower Mosquito Creek. Land cover type of residential in Lower Mosquito Creek had the highest NSF-WQI at 72 and agriculture land cover in Crab Creek had the lowest at 53, respectively being in good and medium NSF-WQI range. When comparing NSF-WQI of overall land cover types, residential had the highest at 70 and agriculture had the lowest at 64, while forest and industrial were same at 67, respectively being in good and rest in medium NSF-WQI range. Tukey HSD test indicates the NSF-WQI for residential land cover is statistically significantly higher than agriculture land cover. The principal component analysis depicts a weak correlation with water variables and NSF-WQI of the sub-watersheds.

Committee: Felicia Armstrong PhD (Advisor); Colleen McLean PhD (Committee Member); Thomas Diggins PhD (Committee Member); Lauren Schroeder PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Water Resource Management

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

This thesis documents an initiative to build capacity in the African community of Marwa, Tanzania, towards the goal of bringing accessible water to Marwa Village. Over three years of the research project, three rainwater harvesting systems were installed in Marwa utilizing a hybrid design of local construction techniques and other introduced innovations. The three tanks provide 91,000 L of storage capacity and over 350,000 L of water use potential. The cost of the rainwater harvesting system was reduced and the constructability increased through efforts of planning, communication and technical innovations.

Committee: Ann Christy (Advisor); Scott Shearer (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Ohio University, 2018, Theater

This paper explores Theatre for Development (TfD) as a research and development tool through a case study conducted in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Mathare is densely populated, with over half-a-million people in one square kilometer. Sanitation and water systems are poorly constructed and often controlled by cartels. This leads to health and security issues that disproportionately affect women. Development initiatives that aim to address these issues often ignore the role that community members play in development. TfD, as I modify it for this project, is an adaptation of Augusto Boal's forum theatre that generates community-led solutions to specific development issues. Using TfD, I rely on stakeholder participation to pursue a holistic research methodology that informs initiatives aimed at improving sanitation challenges. My research seeks to answer two questions: What information surfaces as a result of creating a TfD workshop in Mathare? And how does TfD succeed and fail as a methodology applied in Mathare? I present the data collected through the process of developing the workshop, conducting the workshop, and participant feedback. The data show that the practice of TfD in Mathare generates nuanced information on limitations to sanitation, and illustrates how gendered limitations restrict women's ability to make choices about their own sanitation. The data also show that TfD is useful in empowering participants to guide community dialogue around issues and ways of addressing them, and clarifying areas of misinterpretation. However, challenges can arise with budgeting time and negotiating a language barrier. Overall, I will show that TfD is a research and development tool that empowers stakeholders in the process of information collection, and allows them to invest directly and specifically in the desired outcomes.

Committee: Edna Wangui Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: African Studies; Environmental Studies; Gender; Theater

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2017, Environmental Sciences

The internship was completed from December 16, 2013, till July 31, 2016, at the Armenian Water and Sewerage Closed Joint Stock Company (AWSC), Investment Programs Coordination Directorate, Head office, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. The main project of the internship was “Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project - Additional Financing” funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). I was involved in the project as an Environmental and Social Impact Specialist. This report describes the tasks and assignments for which I was responsible.

Committee: Amélie Davis PhD (Advisor); Vincent Hand PhD (Committee Member); Jonathan Levy PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Management

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2015, Civil Engineering

Rainwater harvesting can be a strategy to address challenges with urban water and wastewater infrastructure such as leakage, underfunding energy usage and combined sewer overflow. Rainwater harvesting system has been used for centuries to meet urban water demands such as toilet flushing, lawn irrigation, cleaning and recreational activities. Of these uses of harvested rainwater, toilet flushing is more common as it constitutes a higher percentage of indoor water use. Life cycle assessment is becoming a powerful tool to estimate environmental sustainability of rainwater harvesting systems. With growing interest in rainwater harvesting systems, it is now essential to understand and estimate the factors affecting its environmental sustainability to better design the system as well as to provide a framework for future researchers. Three research needs were identified and addressed in this study. Knowing that the prior studies lacks generalization of results to other cases, a water demand to supply ratio (D/S) ratio was proposed and demonstrated to estimate environmental impacts from rainwater harvesting systems. A decision framework was also proposed based on the result to help designers and practitioners estimate the environmental impacts without much effort. This study hypothesized that there is a lack of consistency in the analysis of rainwater harvesting systems. Supply and demand based approach was compared for rainwater harvesting system at ten climatic regions with one cubic meter of rainwater supplied and sanitation service in the building throughout its life time as respective functional units. Unexpectedly, the result showed that the region with lower environmental impact for one functional unit did not necessarily have lower impacts for the other functional unit making it clear that regional preference for rainwater harvesting system depends on the specific goal to be met: using harvested rainwater as a potential supplemental source versus using it to meet th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Defne Apul Dr. (Committee Chair); Steven Burian Dr. (Committee Member); Ashok Kumar Dr. (Committee Member); Gruden Cyndee Dr. (Committee Member); Seo Youngwoo Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Water Resource Management

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 0, Civil Engineering

Most of our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure are at the end of their useful life facing significant deterioration, causing leaks and water losses. These losses are a waste of both energy and water, considering both water and wastewater treatment systems are very energy intensive. In order to deal with the urban water infrastructure issues, EPA has listed out the following goals: asset management, water and energy efficiency, infrastructure financing, price of water services and alternative technologies assessment. This dissertation addresses two of EPA’s goals, water and energy efficiency and alternative technologies assessment. Three approaches were taken to address these goals. In the first approach, the life cycle energy demand for water and wastewater studies were reviewed from literature to understand the energy requirements of these systems and propose a benchmark energy demand. System boundaries, data collection and reporting, type of LCA used, were identified as the factors that influence the total energy use and energy use reporting. Energy use data of water and wastewater treatment systems have been compiled to obtain ranges of 2.8 x 10-06 - 4.8 x 10-03 kWh per L and 2.8 x 10-09 to 1.32 x 10-02 kWh per L respectively. From the details obtained from literature, energy use ranges for specific processes related to water and wastewater could not be obtained due to lack of appropriate data reporting. Development of an appropriate data reporting procedure for water and wastewater treatment life cycle assessments is required to be able to collect, use and analyze this data. In the second approach, alternative technologies were assessed to reduce the energy requirements of the water and wastewater treatment systems. The quality of drinking water cannot be compromised; however, the use of potable water flushing toilets can be avoided to conserve energy and resources. In approach 2A Standard sanitation technology (Scenario 1) was compared with the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Defne Apul (Committee Chair); Ashok Kumar (Committee Member); Cyndee Gruden (Committee Member); Dong Shik Kim (Committee Member); Matthew Franchetti (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

The water supply and sanitation situation in the developing world is still very inadequate. In Africa, for example, more than 47 percent of urban households are without access to safe water. The condition is even worse in rural areas. This study reports a meta-analysis of more than 20 studies estimating household willingness to pay (WTP) for various improvements in water services in low-income countries using the contingent valuation method. Meta analysis is a statistical technique that combines findings from separate but similar studies to estimate a relationship between, in this case, household WTP and variables describing local conditions and research treatments. Point estimates of discounted monthly household WTP for private connection charges range from $3.47 to $5.55, depending on income, compared to $1.74 to $3.14 for public standpipes. WTP for sewer connections was $1.10 to $1.41. After a search of secondary literature, life-cycle cost estimates were constructed from raw data provided by expert informants for construction and maintenance of groundwater schemes for public standpipes, private connections, and sanitation facilities for 3 model rural villages in Nigeria. Cost estimates and household WTP estimates are used to determine what proportion of households would sign-up for each service level at various prices, given household income. Because WTP for sewer connections was very low relative to costs, sewer connections were eliminated at this point in the analysis. Rather than the one-size-fits-all water systems often provided by donor agencies and governments in developing countries, we show that providing a menu of service levels can be welfare-improving. Balanced-budget project feasibility and proportion of households served depend on the pricing scheme, as well as WTP and costs. It was found that 100 per cent of households are served only when some form of price discrimination (e.g., uniform price with targeted rebates) is used. The results are sensiti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alan Randall (Advisor) Subjects: Economics, Agricultural

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2012, Environmental Sciences

The purpose of this report is to describe my internship experience spanning from September 2011 to March 2012 at Sanitation District 1 (SD1) and the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee. SD1 is a public entity that helps manage stormwater and wastewater in the northern Kentucky area. SD1 is Kentucky's second largest public sewer utility and is nationally recognized as a leader in stormwater and wastewater management practices. My internship at SD1 focused on assisting the Water Resources Department in areas of water quality. This report exemplifies the many projects and tasks I was involved with. During my time at SD1 I accepted a full time position with the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee as a Water Quality Specialist. The last month of my six month requirement falls into this time period, thus this report also discusses experiences I had in Chattanooga. This internship experience through the Institute of Environment and Sustainability gave me a unique experience to compare how two different organizations are run and some pros and cons of each experience.

Committee: Donna McCollum PhD (Committee Chair); Thomas Crist PhD (Committee Member); Suzanne Zazycki J.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Water Resource Management

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2010, Environmental Sciences

The purpose of this report is to describe my internship experience with Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) from January 2010 to July 2010. SD1 is a public utility, which manages wastewater and storm water in the Northern Kentucky Region. SD1 is dedicated to protecting the environment, safeguarding public health and enhancing the quality of life in the region. The District has been nationally recognized and employs a large array of diversified personnel, including professional engineers, environmental scientists, education specialists, sewer line inspectors, treatment plant workers and construction workers. My internship was focused on assisting in the Water Resources Department with the both the Environmental Scientist and Environmental Educator. This report discusses the work pertaining to my six-month internship with SD1, as well as the impact the Institute of Environmental Sciences on my professional environmental career. As an assistant to the Environmental Educator, I taught storm water lessons in a variety of schools, developed wastewater lessons for middle school curriculum and directed tours for interactive education outreach at SD1's Public Service Park. While working with the Environmental Scientist I collected wet weather and dry weather water quality samples and compiled scientific reports based on synthesized and evaluated data. This report summarizes the projects and activities with which I was involved as well as the training and experiences during my internship with SD1.

Committee: Sandra Woy-Hazleton PhD (Advisor); Mark Boardman PhD (Committee Member); Bruce Perry PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Environmental Science

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2005, Environmental Sciences

I was an intern at the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) from June 3, 2002 to Feb 3, 2003. During this time I conducted field sampling, data entry and data analysis for various studies and monitoring related to Ohio River water quality. The field sampling consisted of collecting both fish, by electrofishing, and macroinvertebrates, through the use of Hester-Dendy samplers. These biological communities are used by ORSANCO as biological indicators, which give critical information about the quality of their aquatic habitat and our environment. The data entry and analysis were vital steps in translating this information into a format that is helpful in managing the Ohio River as a resource. This internship allowed me to gain experience with water quality monitoring and regulation and to develop skills that are necessary for a career in this field.

Committee: Jerry Green (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2004, Environmental Sciences

This paper reports on an internship with Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky from December 2002 through May 2003. The internship included exposure to numerous issues surrounding the development of a regional storm water program and utility to address USEPA Phase II storm water regulations that went into effect March 1, 2003. Examples of these issues include co-permittee compliance and the formation of program policies, as well as the development of a Regional Best Management Practices Manual. The internship also included experience in grant writing and managing projects funded by national and state grants. Finally, the internship provided experience in working with various stakeholder groups involved in the storm water management issues affecting Northern Kentucky.

Committee: William Renwick (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Sciences