Self-Contained, PV-Powered Domestic Toilet and Wastewater Treatment System

Video presentation of the prototype of a Solar-Powered Self-contained Human Waste Water Treatment System developed by Prof. Hoffmann's research group at the California Institute of Technology with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Attributions:
Video Production by Caltech Academic Media Technologies
Royalty free music licensed by www.stockmusic.net
© 2012 California Institute of Technology

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Dave Martin]

An added problem with this toilet is its technical complexity. There are so many things that could go wrong. And where would poor people in slums get spare parts or expertise to solve these problems?

This is an impressive technical achievement, but there is absolutely no chance that this will solve sanitation problems in the developing world. It will only ever be used for demonstration purposes in a few places.

I really cannot understand how this technology won this competition.

[mpascal]

They would repurpose the solar panels and batteries to powering TVs and charging cell phones and go back to shovels for their sanitary needs.

[simon fernandes]

Thanks for your interest in india.A journey starts with the first step.

[simon fernandes]

From India.We could start with normal homes.Once Indians master the technology-in 3 years say- their usage would rise exponentially

[simon fernandes]

Technical complexity:I am from India. Indians can learn but not invent

[james deroc]

caltec has been infiltrated by asians

[james deroc]

thats a shity toilet . .why mix the turds with water only to engineer a way to purify the water you just mixed with the poo?

deal with the poo with out water and deal with urine separately.

poo and urine is the biggest waste of resources world wide . . .nitrogen cycle anyone?

[allamuket]

Congratulation Caltech. I wonder if this would be useful in arid parts of the developed world - for example in Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico where water is scarce. Such a system could cut water use significantly since one could use waste water to water lawns and backyard plants. If one could treat water from the kitchen sink and clothes washer, then the water bill could be cut significantly and such a system would pay for itself in a few years.

[Darian Hickman]

Yeah I would have expected something far simpler. 

[nittyjee]

what's with that map???

It's waaay off. First of all, those are not all the "developing countries" - it should show nearly the whole Global South - nearly all of Africa, Latin America and Asia... second, "developing countries" does not = lack of sanitation. It's hard for me to believe, for example, that a significant part of the Russian population has a lack of access to sanitation. The map should show lack of access to sanitation.

[Dave Martin]

cphairottam, the whole point of the Gates competition was to find a way to build cheap, effective toilets for the over 1 billion very poor people who currently practise open defecation. The public health effects of no sanitation are huge: in my village over half the households have lost at least one child to diarrhea and 10% have lost 3 or more children. All of us were hoping this competition would lead to useful innovation, but this winner will solve nothing. Even if refined, it is too complex.

[cphairottam]

at least Caltech along with other universities have tried and started something that can be developed further to achieve a better and cheaper version, rather than someone here being negative and doesn't help with anything. Also, the Gates foundation proposed this, not Caltech wanted to show off. Meh, people are jealous.