Development of online tools to support safe wastewater reuse

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We have conducted systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses of pathogen reduction in wastewater treatment systems. We have also developed online tools to manage data from pathogen reduction validation studies and to predict pathogen reduction from wastewater treatment systems based on design, operational, and environmental influencing factors.

We have developed the following online tools to support water reuse:

Treatment Plant Sketcher Tool

This tool predicts the effectiveness of a wastewater or fecal sludge treatment system at removing and reducing pathogens based on a custom “sketch” (i.e., process flow diagram) of your treatment system, using models based on data from the scientific literature.

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The LRV Credit Tool

This tool is designed to assist you with planning and managing data from a pathogen log10 reduction value (LRV) validation study for a water reuse system.

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Here are some of our publications on this topic:

  1. ⁺Okaali, D., Bateganya, N., Evans, B., Gava, J., Moe, C., Mugambe, R., Murphy, H., Nansubuga, I., Nkurunziza, A., Rose, J., Tumwebaze, I., Verbyla, M.E., Way, C., Yakubu, H., *Hofstra, N. (2022). Tools for a comprehensive assessment of public health risks associated with limited sanitation services provision, Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science (published online ahead of print). https://doi.org/10.1177%2F23998083221120824
  2. Tumwebaze, I.E., Rose, J.B., Hofstra, N., Verbyla, M.E., ⁺Okaali, D.A., Katsivelis, P., *Murphy, H.M. (2021). Bridging science and practice—Importance of stakeholders in the development of decision support: Lessons learned. Sustainability, 13, 5744. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105744
  3. ⁺Okaali, D.A., Kroeze, C., Medema, G., Burek, P., Murphy, H., Tumwebaze, I.K., Rose, J.B., Verbyla, M.E., Sewagudde, S., Hofstra, N. (2021). Modeling rotavirus concentrations in rivers: Assessing Uganda’s present and future microbial water quality. Water Research, 117615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117615
  4. *Orner, K., Symonds, E.M., Madrigal-Solís, H., Orozco-Montoya, R., Fonseca-Sánchez, A., Verbyla, M.E., Cairns, M. (2021). Holistically managing pathogens and nutrients in urbanizing tropical towns: Can sanitation technologies create safer conditions for beach recreation? ACS ES&T Water, 1(5): 1184–1197. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.0c00264
  5. •Espinosa, M.F., ⁺Sancho, A.N., °°Mendoza, L.M., Mota, C.R., *Verbyla, M.E. (2020). Systematic review and meta-analysis of time-temperature pathogen inactivation. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 230, 113595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113595
  6. Tumwebaze, I.K., Rose, J.B., Hofstra, N., Verbyla, M.E., °Musaazi, I.G., ⁺Okaali, D.A., Kaggwa, R.C., Nansubuga, I., *Murphy, H.M. (2020). Translating pathogen knowledge to practice for sanitation decision-making. Journal of Water and Health, 17(6): 896–909. https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2019.151
  7. *Rose, J.B., Hofstra, N., Murphy, H.M., Verbyla, M.E. (2019). What is safe sanitation? ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering, 145(12): 02519002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001599
  8. Momba, M., Edbon, J., Kamika, I., Verbyla, M.E. (2019). Using indicators to assess microbial treatment and disinfection efficacy. In: J.B. Rose and B. Jiménez-Cisneros, (eds) Sanitation and Disease in the 21st Century: Health and Microbiological Aspects of Excreta and Wastewater Management. (A.Farnleitner and A. Blanch (eds), Part 2 Indicators and Microbial Source Tracking Markers). Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, UNESCO. Global Water Pathogen Project. https://doi.org/10.14321/waterpathogens.6
  9. von Sperling, M., Verbyla, M.E., Mihelcic, J.R. (2018). Understanding Pathogen Reduction in Sanitation Systems: Units of Measurement, Expressing Changes in Concentrations, and Kinetics. In: J.B. Rose and B. Jiménez-Cisneros, (eds) Sanitation and Disease in the 21st Century: Health and Microbiological Aspects of Excreta and Wastewater Management. (J.R. Mihelcic and M.E. Verbyla (eds), Part 4 Management of Risk from Excreta and Wastewater). Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, UNESCO. Global Water Pathogen Project. https://doi.org/10.14321/waterpathogens.54