While the majority of our blog may centre around the use of portable toilets, not to mention just why euroloo should be your first thought when considering their use, we also like to offer you insightful news and changes within the industry. This week however brings not just news, but revolutionary news that could change the future of toilets forever. Today we’re looking at a recent announcement that waterless toilets with the ability to turn your excrement into power, may be the future of toilets. UK researchers made their announcement stating they’ve created a self-sustaining nano-membrane toilet that could provide not only safe, but an alternative to public lavatories.
While we understand the vast majority of you will be thinking that human excrement is rife with pathogens and parasites, what often goes unnoticed is the fact that it’s also 75% water. Water also happens to be the smallest component molecule too and it’s these particular qualities that got researchers thinking. The reasoning behind their “out of the box” way of thinking? To provide 2.5 billion people around the world with safe sanitation. Quite possibly the best excuse of all we think.
The result of their research was something called a nano-membrane toilet which had the ability to take the water from the waste and leave solids which could then be used as fuel or even fertiliser. The process used to achieve this is known as pervaporation where different mixtures of liquids are separated by vaporisation through membranes. The resulting vapour is then collected and drained into a collection chamber where it can then be used for irrigation, household washing and even in some cases, human consumption. The part about this, that makes it so genius, is the fact that it all works without the need for water or electricity. This makes it available to those who lack the key services in the first place. Instead of a flush it has a scraper type system that simply collects the solid waste in a collection chamber.
This amazing invention is being trialed in Ghana at present where it’s not only offering a saving grace in such an environment but it’s also promising a clean and safe alternative to public lavatories that are currently being used. It’s been noted that it’s particularly useful for females who often feel extremely vulnerable when going to the toilet outside of the safety of their home.
One issue that’s currently standing in their way however, aside from commercialisation of such a product, is affordability. The designers have yet to actually put a cost toward one nano-membrane toilet, as it’s still very much in the prototype stage. The one positive is the fact that the materials used are simply off the shelf due to them currently being used in other industries. This means they won’t need to be specially ordered and as a result, an end price shouldn’t be too extreme.
In the meantime however, if you find yourself totally unable to wait for the nano-membrane toilet to finally be released for public purchase and simply need sanitation facilities for your home, business or event, call us here at euroloo today. There’s a reason why we’re the nation’s favourite!
