No Water? No Problem: The Nano Membrane Toilet

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In developing countries, lack of access to sanitation facilities is often a major cause of disease and death amongst marginalized, low-income, and underprivileged populations. Across the world, over 2.3 billion people suffer from lack of access to hygienic sanitation, and over 1.8 billion people regularly consume contaminated water due to lack of access to clean drinking water facilities. This fact, coupled with steadily decreasing groundwater levels in urban areas due to overconsumption, poor management, and increased pollution of available groundwater resources means that the situation is likely to only become more grim for underprivileged and disadvantaged populations in the future.

However, scientists and innovators at Cranfield University may have a solution that could help provide a viable, effective means of sanitary waste disposal and management even to areas that face acute water shortage -- the Nano Membrane Toilet, a toilet that doesn’t need any external water or energy, and uses nanotechnology to convert human waste into water and ash.

Designed to be used for a single household, the Nano Membrane Toilet uses a proprietary rotating flush mechanism instead of traditional water-based flushing systems. Using the principle of sedimentation, glass transition temperatures, and hollow-fibre membranes, solid waste and faecal matter is separated from loosely bound water. In addition to this is a specially-designed nanomembrane wall that helps convert water from liquid to gaseous state so as to allow its transport, which helps separate most pollutant and contaminant particles from the water, while also dispelling odorous gaseous compounds. Once the water has been separated from other waste materials, the solid waste is then moved to a combustor using a mechanical screw, where the waste particles are further broken down into ash and energy. The energy produced in this process is what powers the membrane filtration system, and could potentially even be tapped to power low voltage items too.

However, what makes this a truly innovative solution to the problem of dwindling water resources is its provision to recycle the waste water separated from human waste. The water separated through the membrane filtration process is stored in a small reservoir, which can then be redirected for household cleaning purposes, irrigation purposes, or even disposal based on user discretion. While further study into the economic viability of large scale installations of the toilet is underway, there is no doubt that this technology holds the potential to provide a tenable, effective solution to the lack of access to water and sanitation facilities faced by underserved communities across the globe. With greater consideration and research efforts being directed towards ensuring improved access to quality healthcare across socio-cultural and economic boundaries, one hopes to see governments considering the Nano Membrane Toilet as a truly innovative and effective solution to a problem that has long required resolution.