Reinvented Toilet
A waterless toilet for households that turns solid waste into ashes.
How does it work?
This waterless toilet uses heat-treatment and bioprocessing technologies to kill pathogens found in human waste. Solid waste is dehydrated, dried and combusted into ashes, while liquid waste is treated through a biological purification process. The prototype toilet, which Samsung Electronics described as "energy-efficient" is designed to run without water. It could be particularly useful in remote regions where water is scarce (Dezeen).
Why is it needed?
According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, about 3.6 billion people are forced to use unsafe sanitation facilities, resulting in half a million children under age 5 dying every year from diarrheal diseases caused by limited access to safe water and hygiene.
How does it improve life?
Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), the research and development arm of Samsung Electronics, began working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on the reinvented toilet in 2019, and recently finished the development of core technologies for the toilet and successfully developed and tested a prototype. The two organizations will work together to identify industry partners willing to commercialize the technology, after making the design more efficient for mass production.