Eco-San/ Blackwater Toilet

Blackwater Household Reinvented Toilet
California Institute of Technology, Yixing Eco-Sanitary Manufacture Co. (Eco-San)

How does it work? The Blackwater Household Reinvented Toilet doesn’t separate pee and poop but processes them together using “anaerobic digestion.”

• Waste is collected in an underground septic tank, as bacteria break down or “digest” organic matter (such as poop and paper) in the absence of oxygen.
• Pathogen-free water is created by using electric currents to eliminate microorganisms.
• Water is further disinfected by passing it through a membrane microfilter.
• Undigested solids that settle in the septic tank need to be cleaned out about once per year.
• The toilet produces up to one ton of fertilizer per year.

Who’s it for? The Blackwater Reinvented Toilet can be used for individual households or scaled up for use as a community toilet. It’s compatible with pedestal and squat toilets and can be used with both washers (those who use water to cleanse) and wipers (those who use toilet paper).

Who created it? The technology was pioneered by a team at the California Institute of Technology, led by Dr. Michael Hoffman who won first place in the foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet Challenge in 2012. Eco-Sanitary Manufacture in China was launched to manufacture this toilet.