Waterless toilet uses nanotechnology to treat waste, banish smells
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation - Thu, 7 Jan 2016 18:44 GMT
Author: Magda Mis

LONDON, Jan 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A toilet that does not need water, a sewage system or external power but instead uses nanotechnology to treat human waste, produce clean water and keep smells at bay is being developed by a British university.

The innovative toilet uses a rotating mechanism to move waste into a holding chamber containing nano elements. The mechanism also blocks odours and keeps waste out of sight.

"Once the waste is in the holding chamber we use membranes that take water out as vapour, which can then be condensed and available for people to use in their homes," Alison Parker, lead researcher on the project, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"The pathogens remain in the waste at the bottom of the holding chamber, so the water is basically pure and clean."

Cranfield University is developing the toilet as part of the global "Reinvent the toilet Challenge" launched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Nanotechnology is the science of creating and working with materials about one nanometer wide, or one-billionth of a metre. A human hair is about 80,000 nanometres wide.

Parker said that despite "significant" interest from developed countries, the toilet is being designed with those in mind who have no access to adequate toilets.

According to the U.N. children's agency UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) 2.4 billion people, mostly in rural areas, live without adequate toilets.

Poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio, the WHO says.

Cranfield University says its toilet is designed for a household of up to 10 people and will cost just $0.05 per day per user.

A replaceable bag containing solid waste coated with a biodegradable nano-polymer which blocks odour will be collected periodically by a local operator, it says.

Initial field testing of the toilet is likely to take place later this year, Parker said.

(Reporting by Magdalena Mis, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, corruption and climate change. Visit http://www.trust.org)

Ive always said the toilet was poorly designed...but...Im not ready for this.

I was recently watching an episode of Aerial America on Smithsonian Channel, and they were flying over a plateau in New Mexico where a town had been built. What caught my eye was that every building had an outhouse behind it. Not the Appalachian style but the modern ones you see in tail gate parking lots. I'm sure it must smell delightful up there.

(01-08-2016 01:15 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  Ive always said the toilet was poorly designed...but...Im not ready for this.

The newer ones certainly are.

Sometimes I need a power flush and that is no longer an option with new toilets.

Yeah, I mean, 1 gallon per flush is cute and all but not at the expense of clogging up every time I eat nachos or chili dogs.

(01-08-2016 02:30 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(01-08-2016 01:15 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  Ive always said the toilet was poorly designed...but...Im not ready for this.

The newer ones certainly are.

Sometimes I need a power flush and that is no longer an option with new toilets.

Yeah, I mean, 1 gallon per flush is cute and all but not at the expense of clogging up every time I eat nachos or chili dogs.

Im not ready to reuse water captured from my own waste. I know that is already being done in treatment plants..but..In my home? Gross.

I'm all for technology that will save resources.

But mostly I just want yankees to take their yankee craps up north. Tired of them flushing their yankee dookey into southern wastewater treatment plants.

Your local water company will have your city, county, or state government pass a law preventing you from disconnecting from the local sewer system, and/or charge a fee even if you're not in it.

(01-13-2016 08:41 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Your local water company will have your city, county, or state government pass a law preventing you from disconnecting from the local sewer system, and/or charge a fee even if you're not in it.

You sort of lost me. Are you saying you are charged a fee for well water or septic?

I will volunteer to pilot for kitty litter boxes. Where do I sign up?

(01-13-2016 08:51 PM)dcCid Wrote:  

(01-13-2016 08:41 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Your local water company will have your city, county, or state government pass a law preventing you from disconnecting from the local sewer system, and/or charge a fee even if you're not in it.

You sort of lost me. Are you saying you are charged a fee for well water or septic?

I'm not, but given how electric companies have responded to people who've gone off grid, I figured water & sewer is not far behind.