Solar Toilet Transforms Waste to Biochar

Mar-17-14 A new waterless solar toilet that processes human waste into biochar is being unveiled in India this month.

The toilet, built as part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, features an array of parabolic mirrors that concentrate the sun’s rays onto a postage stamp-sized quartz-glass rod. The rod transfers the heat energy to the reaction chamber via eight bundles of fiber-optic cable, heating the chamber to a temperature over 600⁰F. This intense heat kills the pathogens in the waste while also producing usable biochar. Biochar can be used both as a water-retention material in soil as well as a source of burnable fuel similar to charcoal.

The team is currently investigating ways to improve the toilet’s efficiency while also lowering costs.

More Info about this Invention:

[GIZMODO.COM]
[UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO]

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