Urine-Diverting System for Securing Sanitation in Disaster and Emergency Situations

Abstract

Because securing sanitation was one of the great concerns after the Great East Japan earthquake of 2011, the writers developed a disaster-responsive portable toilet unit modeled after urine-diverting toilets. The unit, which separates urine and feces, is produced from ready-to-assemble plastic cardboard, which facilitates transportation and stocking. The separated feces are processed without any water and electricity using a mixture of lime and carbonized rice husks or dry soil, which promotes the drying and alkalization of feces for disinfection and deodorization. The urine may be discharged without treatment because it contains few pathogens. By July 2011, 54 units had been provided to the disaster-affected areas of East Japan, where they have been evaluated positively and acquired for future preparedness. This paper describes the development of this portable toilet unit and proposes a disaster responsive and environmentally friendly system for routine use in public buildings that, in emergencies, can be converted to a system that treats feces without any water. Stocking portable urine-diverting toilets and converting to a urine-diverting system in public buildings can help minimize the negative effects of improper sanitation after disasters.