Big John: US company produces toilet seats for the hefty-sized

The fact that two-thirds of Americans are overweight inspired two Californian entrepreneurs to design a larger, stronger, and more durable toilet seat: “Big John”.

As we say, ‘Your butt's not too big, your seat's too small,’" said “Big John” creator Scott R. Kramer. (NBC News)

“As we say, ‘Your butt’s not too big, your seat’s too small,’” said “Big John” creator Scott R. Kramer.

Scott Kramer and his partner John Weisman are in the bathroom business.

Their idea, the “Big John”, is a sort of a ‘big ‘n’ tall seat’ for public restrooms, hospitals and health care facilities. While normal toilet seats are 13 inches (33 cm) wide, a “Big John” measures 19 inches ( 48 cm).

Since the launch of the Big John 5 years ago, revenues have skyrocketed: they’re up 60 per cent in 2009, both in the US and abroad.

Retail costs for a “Big John” seat cover range between US$ 158 to US$ 178, but you can buy one (new I hope) from Amazon.com for as low as US$ 107.

“Big butts” don’t only require a bigger toilet seat, but also more support. That’s why there is also a ‘Big John Toilet Support” that can increase the weight capacity of a wall-mounted toilet from the standard 300 lbs (136 kg) to 1,000 lbs (453 kg). It also helps avoid lawsuits, the web site adds.

““My husband required a little more room and he was breaking many toilet seats a year. The Big John put an end to that. Well Done.” [web site testimonial from a happy Estelle L. Manchester, England]

Web site: Big John Toilet Seat and Support

Source: NBC News / WOAI.com, 30 Nov 2009

Urine separation: Sinquiver to market urine-separating toilets in Chile

Chilean chemical solutions firm Sinquiver is looking into marketing urine separation systems in Chile, the firm’s wastewater manager Alistair Marsh told BNamericas.

There are several advantages to the system, according to Marsh. “First of all, you don’t need freshwater to flush urine so you save on water use and costs,” he said.

The concept involves installing a different pipeline which would channel the urine to be stored in a tank. “Urine is a huge source of nitrogen and phosphate which could then be used for the production of fertilizer,” Marsh said.

“This kind of system would be especially useful in mining operations which involve a large number of people,” said Marsh, adding: “It would save water while simultaneously providing a source of fertilizer for local farmers.”

An additional benefit is that by taking the urine out of sewage, wastewater is easier to treat.

Urine accounts for less than 1% of wastewater but it contains about 80% of the nitrogen, 50% of the phosphate and 70% of the potassium, all of which must be removed. Nutrient removal is the most difficult aspect of wastewater treatment. By separating the urine at source, studies have shown energy savings of 25% at wastewater treatment plants.

“We are looking to offer urine-separating toilets to municipalities and companies that employ a large number of people such as malls and hotels, among others,” Marsh said.

“Wastewater treatment is still very new in Latin America but there is a great need for it and that is where we come in,” said Marsh, adding: “Sinquiver is looking for the best technology and solutions to introduce into the local market.”

In addition to wastewater treatment, the company provides solutions for the wood and paper industry, and sells industrial equipment.

Source: Greta Bourke, BNamericas.com [subscription site], 19 Nov 2009

WaterSanitationHygiene.org: technical resources and forum

WaterSanitationHygiene.org hosts technical resources – 873 at the moment – on water supply and sanitation ranging from well construction, school hygiene promotion, water treatment, water quality testing, emergency sanitation, water saving toilets, hand pumps, to centrifugal pumps. The database links to the publicly available documents from sector organisations like WSP, WEDC and WaterAid, on the originating website.

The web site also hosts a forum on topics as diverse as climate change, diarrhoeal disease transmission, reverse osmosis, ecosan, rainwater harvesting and geophysics. Vacancies and events are posted as well. Nearly 300 members have registered so far.

The site does not mentioned who is running it and how it is being maintained.

Waste Water Treatment Plant Mud Used As ‘green’ Fuel

Scientists have shown that using mud from waste water treatment plants as a partial alternative fuel can enable cement factories to reduce their CO2 emissions and comply with the Kyoto Protocol, as well as posing no risk to human health and being profitable. These are the results of an environmental impact assessment.

Dependency on oil and coal could be coming to an end. Researchers from the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) have analysed the environmental and human health impacts of an alternative fuel that solves various problems simultaneously. This is the solid waste from the water treatment plants of large cities.

The scientists have carried out the first study into this method at a cement plant in Vallcarca (Catalonia), which has been producing cement for more than 100 years, and they confirm in the latest issue of the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research that it is “the best option for getting rid of mud that would have had to be dumped elsewhere, while also powering the plant”.

[...] Up to 20% of the fossil fuel energy used at the Catalan plant has now been substituted for the fuel from waste water treatment plant mud.

One of the most important issues for the URV scientists is the reduction in environmental impact, and consequently the health risks for people living near the plants. The experiment with the mud has led to a 140,000 tonne reduction in CO2 emissions between 2003 and 2006, and will have limited the potential deaths from exposure to chemical pollutants. In addition, the study shows that using this green fuel would reduce the cancer rate by 4.56 per million inhabitants.

The researchers say it is essential to carry out separate studies for each plant because “we still don’t know whether this will be positive for the whole cement industry”, according to Domingo. However, if the conditions are right, using mud from waste water treatment plants in cement factories is “a very good solution”, he concludes

Source: Plataforma SINC, ScienceDaily, 23 Jun 2009

Biogas: Chilean water utility inaugurates largest plant in South America

Chilean natural gas distributor Metrogas and water utility Aguas Andinas started up operations at the country’s first biogas plant installed at the Farfana water treatment complex on the outskirts of Santiago. The plant will produce 24Mm3/y of biogas and replace about 14Mm3/y of natural gas. “This is the only place in the world where biogas produced by a water treatment facility ends up being used directly in homes,” Metrogas president Matías Pérez Cruz said, adding that the biogas plant is the largest in South America. Investment in the project totaled 3bn pesos (US$5.3mn).

Source: BNamericas [subscription site], 14 May 2009

Meanwhile in Brazil, officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Paraná state water utility Sanepar [have met] to discuss projects to expand power generation sewage treatment plants. [...] Since 2008, Sanepar has been producing electric power from its [Ouro Verde sewage treatment plant in Foz do Iguaçu]. The plant produces energy for its own operations and the surplus is sold to power company Copel. [Sanepar wants to] extend the successful experience of Foz do Iguaçu to all [its] sewage treatment plants.

Source: BNamericas [subscription site], 25 May 2009

Public toilets: Mukuru BioCentres project, Kenya, wins honorable mention in 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge

The Mukuru BioCentres project, submitted by Umande Trust (Kenya) and GOAL Ireland, has received an honorable mention in the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. BioCentres offer “a comprehensive solution to some of the most egregious problems of urban slums, from poor sanitation to lack of clean water to unpredictable or nonexistent energy infrastructure”, according to the jury report. “The BioCentres, of which there are already 12 in operation in Kenya, are public toilets housed above a biogas digester that produces affordable fuel from human waste, which is then made available to the local community. The facilities also provide clean water, public space, and workspace which serves as an incubator for local businesses”.

A BioCentre is a biogas generating latrine block, managed by community groups, which can be located anywhere in a slum as it treats human waste in-situ without requiring sewerage infrastructure. It comprises of the following:

•  Digester: Mixes water and human waste in anaerobic conditions to make biogas; remaining liquid effluent is 90% pathogen free and filtered on site.
•  BioGas: Used for cooking and can be linked to children’s feeding projects. It reduces carbon emissions by converting methane to CO2 and water and by substituting the need for other fuels.
•  Toilets and washrooms: Ground floor to ensure disabled access with free ‘child only’ cubicles
•  Water Kiosk: selling affordable clean water
• Upper Floors: Maximizes restricted urban space, has a hall and ancillary rooms for community and livelihoods activities eg cottage industries or restaurant. Income generated through rental can subsidize the operation of the toilets.

The BioCentre can be built with locally available technology, local unskilled labor and requires minimal maintenance as it has no movable parts.

In each BioCentre there is a room for a community health worker. These are community members, trained by GOAL to disseminate hygiene and health information

Read the full project description here.

Web site: Unimade – BioCentres

Source: Buckminster Fuller Challenge, 04 May 2009

BioCentre in Kibera, Nairobi. Photo: Unmande Trust / Buckminster Fuller Challenge

BioCentre Groundfloor Plan. Photo: Unmande Trust / Buckminster Fuller Challenge

BioCentre design. Photo: Unmande Trust / Buckminster Fuller Challenge

Floating toilets for floating villages on Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake

The Singapore-based nongovernment organization, Lien Aid, has introduced  floating toilets as part of its “River of life” project for the floating communities of Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia (see also an earlier blog post on this project). In February 2009, Lien Aid was introducing “different toilet designs that they can build on their houseboats”, CEO Sahari Ani told the Asian Development Bank . “Simultaneously, we’re providing them with a safer choice for drinking water by building a floating water treatment plant” Mr. Ani said. “We are exploring several options including the use of especially adapted septic tanks plus ecological sanitation using the urine diversion-dissecting (UDD) toilet”.

Based on the villagers’ preferences, Lien Aid “determined the size of the toilets, buckets to be used for storage of excreta, ecosan pans (2-hole or 3-hole), and other design considerations [resulting in] 3 workable designs to date” (see sample designs of the three options here). “Our next challenges are to modify existing toilets to incorporate the UDD options, ensure availability of suitable drying material for covering feces, and keep the costs manageable”, Mr. Ani explained.

Lien Aid, which works together with the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) and local authorities, “is developing simple [...] publications on methods of construction, use, and maintenance of the floating toilets”.

Floating toilets cost “between US$50-200, depending on whether the family will just upgrade their existing drop-hole toilet to accommodate the UDD technology or whether the entire toilet, including superstructure, will be constructed from scratch. The size of the toilet will also dictate the cost – toilets that can accommodate 2 tanks will obviously cost more [The 2 tanks will be for families who wish to avoid handling semi-decomposed excreta every few months. Once the first vault is full, it can be sealed for a few months until the feces dries up, and the alternate second vault will be used. Toilets with only 1 vault means the family will have to dispose of semi-composted feces at monthly intervals.]. We’re still trying to lower the cost by using indigenous materials and encouraging local entrepreneurs to manufacture the UDD pans”.

Together with the floating toilets, “a land-based composting unit and collection system will be established to manage the semi-composted feces. We hope to promote the use of fully decomposed feces as compost”.

Lien Aid had “already set up a community center for water-sanitation related training and advocacy activities” and “will also form a water-sanitation group from among the residents and community leaders”.

Source: ADB, Feb 2009

Upflow biofilters: treating septic tank effluent in squatter settlement in Nepal

Thirty-one households in Narayan Tole squatter settlement near Maharajgunj of KMC-3 , Kathamdu, have recently constructed ‘up-flow bio-filters’ to treat septic tank effluent. They have constructed two such filters spread in over 342 sq ft area with the financial and technical support of UN-HABITAT Water for Asian Cities Programme Nepal, WaterAid Nepal and Lumanti Support Group for Shelter.

Only 16 households in the area had toilets until a year ago. They used to let their toilet waste mix directly into nearby rivers. [...] All the households in the area now have toilets. They have constructed a 180-metre-long sewer to channel the toilet waste to the filters.

The filter first separates solid and liquid wastes and treats the liquid waste. After the treatment, the waste water [flows] into the rivers while the solid waste remains in the tank. The bio-filters were constructed with Rs. 0.2 million collected from the donors and locals. The locals have formed Narayan Tole Sudhar Samiti (NTSS) to take care of the filters.

Kalpana Karki, treasurer of the Samiti, told that it collects Rs. 35 per month from each household for the maintenance of the filters. [...] “We will use the digested solid waste as fertilizer in our fields,” Karki said.

Related news: Nepal, Kathmandu: squatters seek NGO help to defeat river pollution, Source Weekly, 15 Dec 2008

Source: NGO Forum,10 Feb 2009

South Africa: Joburg Water, University Agree to expand research expertise

Johannesburg Water (JU) and University of Johannesburg (UJ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding [on collaboration] on water and sanitation research and development projects [...] specifically in water nanotechnologies, water purification, waste water treatment and innovation in water analysis.

Mr Jones Mnisi, Acting Chief Operation Officer, Johannesburg Water (JW). and Prof Derek van der Merwe, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Principal, University of Johannersburg (UJ) at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Johannesburg Water on Friday, 16 January 2009. Photo: UJ.

Read more: Gabi Khumalo, Bua News / allAfrica.com, 16 Jan 2009 ; Johannesburg Water, 16 Jan 2009

Waste recycling: Motorola unveils first mobile phone made with recycled plastic water bottles

MOTO W233 Renew. Photo: Motorola

With the launch of MOTO W233 Renew, Motorola says it has the world’s first carbon neutral phone. The plastic housing is made from plastics comprised of recycled water bottles. “Through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation. The phone has earned Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® Product Certification”, Motorola said in its press release of 06 Jan 2009.

Motorola says it has reduced size of packaging, made of recycled paper, by 22 percent, and that it provides a postage-paid recycling envelope.

Commenting on the introduction of Renew in his blog, Professor Noah Hall notes: “This is great, but don’t feel like you need to rush out and buy bottled water to keep Motorola supplied with recycled plastic.  With over 8 billion gallons of bottled water sold in the U.S. annually, we should have enough recycled plastic from water bottles to give us a lifetime of cell phones”.