Bio-digestor Toilets

Bio-digester toilets are designed to convert human waste into gases and manure. The zero-waste biodigester
technology uses psychrotrophic bacteria like Clostridium and Methanosarcina (these microbes can live in cold or
hot climate and feed on waste to survive) to break down human excreta into usable water and gas. Once applied,
the bacteria can work for a lifetime.

Waste from toilets are sent to a giant underground bio-digester tank where anaerobic digestion takes place.
Methane gas produced in the tanks can be used for different purposes, including firing up gas stoves and
generating electricity while the leftovers (popularly called Humanure or ‘Human manure’) can be used for
gardening and farming. It does not have any geographical or temperature limitation and also does away with the
need to set up large sewerage networks.
 Advantages
These microbes can live in cold or hot climate and feed on waste to survive

• Methane gas produced in the tanks can be used for different purposes, including firing up gas stoves and
generating electricity while the leftovers (popularly called Humanure or ‘Human manure’) can be used for
gardening and farming.
• need to set up large sewerage networks.
• adapted to any geo-climatic conditions of the country.
• low on maintenance and installation cost
• adapted to any geo-climatic conditions of the country .

Solar-Powered, Self-Cleaning Toilet

Since 2014, Eram scientific an R&D social enterprise based in Thiruvananthapuram, has been
rolling out automated and self-cleaning solar-powered cleaning toilets. Sleek and made of
stainless steel, the toilets are designed to be installed in locations where access to electricity
and common sanitation methods is difficult, if not impossible
• The toilet flushes itself before and after every use, using a minimum amount of
water, that is determined through sensors
• each flush uses 1.5 litres of water, compared to the 8-10 litres used by a normal flush.
• floor is automatically washed after every tenth use
• The lights turn on automatically and draw power from a built-in solar panel. 
• Everything is monitored through GPRS telemetry
• there are provisions for waste treatment using anaerobic bio-degradation.

ECOSAN toilets
 The toilet is designed in such a way that the Urine is seperated from the faeces. Further the water used for
washing of hands as well as the toilet is seperated out and sent to natural filter beds, from where it irrigates a
field nearby. The urine is taken by a separate pipe and stored in a vessel to be used as fertiliser. The faecus is
kept dry by adding ash and lime, so the time taken to destroy the pathogens is shorter.When the first chamber is
full it is sealed up, and the time taken for the next chambers to get filled up is sufficient for the excreta to
degrade so that it can be handled safely, without odour, and is ready to use as manure.

• Prevent ground water contamination as the chambers are kept above ground and full sealed
• It has no sewer connections. Saves water as it does not require any water to carry human waste; no plumbing is
required.
• Does not require any treatment of urine or faeces.
• No flies or foul smell. No mosquito breeding as there is no water stagnation