A self-sustainable bio toilet has recently been invented by the civil engineering department of IIT Kharagpur.
The department has innovated this bio toilet with a giant flush, which doesn’t need to be refilled for more than 15 years. Moreover, reports say that the toilet is not dependent on a constant water supply like the other conventional toilets, which requires 10 to 12 litres of water per flush.
The invention is unique in its own way as the bio-toilet has microbial fuel cell (MFC) reactors which work on the water being used in every flush and completely recycles it. Once recycled and clean, this water is then sent to a reservoir on top of the toilet, where it is stored for reuse.
The MFC reactors are essentially bio-electrochemical devices that harness the power of respiring microbes to convert organic substrates directly into electrical energy. Therefore the septic tank of the bio-toilet has electrogenic bacteria which generates electricity out of human waste.
The prototype of the same had also won the PM’s Swachh Bharat Award that can cater to a five-member family.