Compliance of private ventilated improved pit latrines to odour and fly control guidelines: A technical audit in selected regions of Ghana.

The ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine offers a promising route to safely managed sanitation to many households in developing countries. However, some technical guidelines must be followed in order to realise the technology's advantage of odour and fly nuisance control. This study sought to audit private VIP latrines in selected regions of Ghana to assess their compliance to conventional technical guidelines and to understand the major factors that influence the latrine designs.

Anaerobic co-digestion of human excreta, food leftovers and kitchen residue: 1 ternary mixture design, synergistic effects and RSM approach.

Anaerobic digestion of multiple substrates can generate more biogas while remaining stable, if positive synergistic effects are achieved. The type of co-digested substrates and the mixing ratio used, are the most important variables as each substrate has unique set of characteristics. Optimizing the volume ratios by testing various substrate mixing ratios is a popular method for determining the best-performing ratio of substrate mixture.

Self-supply groundwater in five communities: Moshie Zongo, Aboabo, Kotei, Ayeduase and Apemso in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.

Self-supply water has been acknowledged as a viable alternative to meeting the water needs of inhabitants. This study was designed to determine the main issues that influence self-supply water coverage in five (5) communities in the Kumasi Metropolis. The research employed a well-structured questionnaires and a total of 369 households were surveyed.

Understanding fluoride adsorption from groundwater by alumina modified with alum using PHREEQC surface complexation model.

Fluoride is recognized as a vital ion for human and animal growth because of the critical role it plays in preventing skeletal and dental problems. However, when it is ingested at a higher concentration it can cause demineralization of teeth and bones resulting in fluorosis, therefore, the production of high-adsorptive capacity material which is also cost-effective is necessary for the treatment of fluorides. In this study, aluminium foil is valorised into alumina nanoparticles.

Assessment of the Knowledge, Prevalence, and Control Strategies of Malaria Among Households in Sunyani Municipality, Bono Region, Ghana.

Background: Malaria remains a global public health concern for centuries. The study assessed the knowledge, prevalence and control strategies of malaria among households in the Sunyani Municipality, Bono Region, Ghana.

Method: A simple random sampling method was used to administer semi-structured questionnaires to the respondents (n = 422).

Environmental Management and Sanitation as a Malaria Vector Control Strategy: A Qualitative Cross-Sectional Study Among Stakeholders, Sunyani Municipality, Ghana.

Background: For centuries malaria infection remains a public health burden globally as well as in the Sunyani Municipality. This exploratory qualitative study aimed to assess the prospects of environmental management and sanitation (EMS) as a malaria vector control strategy among key stakeholders involved in the prevention and control of malaria in Sunyani Municipality, Ghana.

Method: We used an exploratory qualitative study and a designed focus group discussion (FGD) guide (with specific research questions) to solicit opinions and/or views among Malaria Control Focal Persons, Environmental Health Officers (Health Inspectors), and Honourable Assembly Members.

Assessment of solar radiation resource from the NASA-POWER reanalysis products for tropical climates in Ghana towards clean energy application.

In order to expand the output of solar power systems for efficient integration into the national grid, solar energy resource assessment at site is required. A major impediment however, is the widespread scarcity of radiometric measurements, which can be augmented by satellite observation. This paper assessed the suitability of satellite-based solar radiation resource retrieved from the NASA-POWER archives at [Formula: see text] spatial resolution over Ghana-West Africa, to develop a long-term source reference.

Indoor air quality improvement and purification by atmospheric pressure Non-Thermal Plasma (NTP).

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising technology for the improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ) by removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through advanced oxidation process (AOP). In this paper, authors developed a laboratory scale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor which generates atmospheric NTP to study the removal of low-concentration formaldehyde (HCHO), a typical indoor air VOC in the built environment associated with cancer and leukemia, under different processing conditions. Strong ionization NTP was generated between the DBD electrodes by a pulse power zero-voltage switching flyback transformer (ZVS-FBT), which caused ionization of air molecules leading to active species formation to convert HCHO into carbon dioxide (CO) and water vapor (HO).

Inhibition of ammonia and hydrogen sulphide as faecal sludge odour control in dry sanitation toilet facilities using plant waste materials.

On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high malodour and insect nuisance as well as poor aesthetics. The high odour deters users from utilizing dry sanitation toilets as an improved facility leading to over 20% open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa. To address this malodour concern, this study first assessed odour levels, using hydrogen sulphide (HS) and ammonia (NH) as indicators, on two dry sanitation facilities named T1 and T2.

Market waste composition analysis and resource recovery potential in Kumasi, Ghana.

Municipal solid waste constitutes significant quantities of waste generated in markets. Markets produce substantial quantities of fruit and vegetable waste, a source of nuisance in landfills. In Ghana, market waste (MW) appears to be unexplored and has limited data available.

Degradation and accumulation rates of fresh human excreta during vermicomposting by Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae.

This study was carried out to assess the degradation and accumulation rates of fresh human excreta and how addition of anal cleansing materials affect performance during vermicomposting by Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae. Vermicomposting setups consisting of two transparent containers (length 0.27 m, breadth 0.

Microbial Groundwater Quality Status of Hand-Dug Wells and Boreholes in the Dodowa Area of Ghana.

To assess the suitability of water sources for drinking purposes, samples were taken from groundwater sources (boreholes and hand-dug wells) used for drinking water in the Dodowa area of Ghana. The samples were analyzed for the presence of fecal indicator bacteria () and viruses (Adenovirus and Rotavirus), using membrane filtration with plating and glass wool filtration with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. In addition, sanitary inspection of surroundings of the sources was conducted to identify their vulnerability to pollution.

The effect of increased private sector involvement in solid waste collection in five cities in Ghana.

Private sector involvement in solid waste management in developing countries has increased, but the effect is not always clear. This study assesses how it has been organized in five cities in Ghana, what has been its effect and what lessons for private sector development in developing countries can be drawn. Data were collected from 25 private companies and a sample of 1200 households.