NTU’s new loo turns poo into power

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://news.ntu.edu.sg/news/Pages/NR2012_Jun26.aspx

[font face=Serif][font size=5]NTU’s new loo turns poo into power[/font]

Published on : 26-Jun-2012

[font size=3]Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have invented a new toilet system that will turn human waste into electricity and fertilisers and also reduce the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90 per cent compared to current toilet systems in Singapore.

Dubbed the No-Mix Vacuum Toilet, it has two chambers that separate the liquid and solid wastes. Using vacuum suction technology, such as those used in aircraft lavatories, flushing liquids would now take only 0.2 litres of water while flushing solids require just one litre.

The existing conventional water closet uses about 4 to 6 litres of water per flush. If installed in a public restroom flushed 100 times a day, this next generation toilet system, will save about 160,000 litres in a year – enough to fill a small pool 10 x 8 metres x 2m.

The NTU scientists are now looking to carry out trials by installing the toilet prototypes in two NTU restrooms. If all goes well, the world can expect to see and even sit on the new toilet in the next three years.

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[malthaussen]

1. Author Charlotte MacLeod invented those 30 years ago.

She should sue for violation of patent. If she weren't dead, I mean.

-- Mal

[pscot]

2. K&R for alliteration

and onomatopoeia.

[phiddle]

3. Pooer to the Peeple!

[Bill USA]

4. this system uses a digester to produce methane from the waste. We could do this with Cattle poo but

for some reason it is very slow getting going. There doesn't seem to be much interest in converting Poo to power.. This is done on farms in Europe much more than in the U.S. It would probably garner more interest here if it wasn't such a relatively low-tech process. We would be more interested if it involved lazers and very expensive cutting edge, computer controlled centrifuges and other high tech equipment.


The result is we spend beaucou money to process municipal and farm animal waste which could be turned into power.