The Solar-Powered ‘Sol-Char’ Was Designed to Improve Sanitation
Itai Buenahora — March 18, 2014 — Tech
References: motherboard.vice
A team of engineers introduces this whimsical solar-powered toilet, called the ‘Sol-Char,’ using “concentrated solar power to scorch and disinfect human waste, turning feces into a useful byproduct called biochar.”
We as humans all need to go, and some 2.5-billion people do not have the proper facilities to do so. Roughly a third of the world’s population lacks sanitation, leading to susceptibility of disease and filth. The initiative is to build self-contained blocks of toilets, much like Coca-Cola’s community blocks, which provides clean water and power for phone charging, essentially turning toilets into a community center.
By converting human waste into biochar, this toilet thus enables sanitary waste disposal without any major infrastructure investments. The ‘Sol-Char’ is the future of eco-friendly washrooms.
We as humans all need to go, and some 2.5-billion people do not have the proper facilities to do so. Roughly a third of the world’s population lacks sanitation, leading to susceptibility of disease and filth. The initiative is to build self-contained blocks of toilets, much like Coca-Cola’s community blocks, which provides clean water and power for phone charging, essentially turning toilets into a community center.
By converting human waste into biochar, this toilet thus enables sanitary waste disposal without any major infrastructure investments. The ‘Sol-Char’ is the future of eco-friendly washrooms.
Trend Themes
1. Concentrated Solar Power - Exploring concentrated solar power for innovative and eco-friendly solutions in various industries.
2. Sanitation Solutions - Developing innovative sanitation solutions to address the global lack of proper facilities and improve health and hygiene.
3. Waste-to-byproduct Conversion - Exploring opportunities to convert waste materials into useful byproducts for sustainability and resource management.
Industry Implications
1. Renewable Energy - Leveraging concentrated solar power technology in the renewable energy sector for cleaner and more sustainable energy production.
2. Infrastructure Development - Integrating self-contained toilet blocks into infrastructure development projects to improve sanitation and hygiene in underserved communities.
3. Waste Management - Implementing waste-to-byproduct conversion technologies to improve waste management practices and create value from waste materials.
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