technologyvista.in: These Solar-Thermal Toilets Are Carbon-Sequestering Charcoal Factories Developed by a team of researchers at Colorado University at Boulder led by Karl Linden, professor of environmental engineering, this self-contained waterless toilet uses the Suns energy to sterilize solid human waste and transform it into biochar, a porous charcoal that makes for excellent fertilizer and soil amendment. In fact, soil mixes with at least 10 percent biochar can hold up to 50 percent more water, reducing water requirements and improving yields. It can also be used as a fuel source, providing the same energy characteristics as commercial charcoal—though youd have to imagine the smell would be quite shitty. Biochar is a valuable material, Linden said in a press release. It has good water holding capacity and it can be used in agricultural areas to hold in nutrients and bring more stability to the soils. Just like other solar thermal systems, such as the Ivanpaugh power plant in TK, this toilet concentrates the Suns energy onto a quartz-glass rod the size of a postage stamp using eight overhead parabolic mirrors. This quartz rod then transfers the heat energy (roughly 700 watts of it) through a bundle of eight fiber-optic cables into the reaction chamber, heating it to more than 600 degrees F. Thats high enough to not only sterilize the waste but also convert the solid bits into biochar. Source: bit.ly/1kVWeE5
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 06:30:27 +0000
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