UNAM graduates create water-saving toilet

Graduates of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) presented alternatives for saving water: An ecological toilet that does not require the use of water, as well as a robot that washes large volume tanks without having to empty them.

The developments were shown during the forum "Blue Gold: A Resource that Runs Out," which was held at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (FCPyS) of the Mexican university .

Vicente Borja, a graduate from UNAM’s Faculty of Engineering

, presented a sustainable ecological toilet, conceived by a multidisciplinary team, composed of academics and students from the Center for Mechanical Design and Technological Innovation , and the Industrial Design Research Center .

Considering that water should be used mainly for human consumption, the specialist explained that, though the device did not require the use of water, there were no risks in the dry handling of feces.

The dry toilet works with a substance which neutralizes the bacteria after the discharge of feces

. The stools are then left to dry and degrade through a natural process, after which the resulting organic material can be used as fertilizer.

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