AC Biode: Waterless Odorless Processing Turns Human Waste Into Fertilizer

Last month, I attended the virtual Disrupt conference, where light-green technology was one of the hottest topics. The Japan Innovation Pavilion hosted the concluding session, organized by JETRO San Francisco, the Japan External Trade Organization.

Air conditioning Biode, an award-winning patented bio-toilet provider, was i of the iii startups pitching on the Japan Innovation virtual stage, in the environment grouping, alongside PJP Middle LTD (rare metallic-complimentary organic carbon battery), and Everblue Technologies (democratic sailing solution).

Photos courtesy of AC Biode – content from Air-conditioning Biode presentation

AC Biode presented its patented waterless composting toilet AC Biolet, which uses regular woods chips and circular motion to transform man waste matter into bio-fertilizer. Co-ordinate to Tadashi Kubo, co-founder, and CEO, AC Biode, the procedure is chemical-free, odorless, and eliminates the demand for a sewage system. AC Biolet does non require whatsoever bacteria, or a specific type of sawdust to work, unlike competitive solutions such as Sun Mar.

Images courtesy of Air-conditioning Biode – content from Air-conditioning Biode presentation

In recent years, the need for waterless composting toilets has significantly increased. The "no-affluent motion" is ane of the latest hot trends that is responsible for the "unexpected rise of the composting toilet," according to an commodity written past Emine Samer in 2019. Since the pandemic began, the tendency has intensified due to the skyrocketing need for RVs and the surge in tiny home sales.

Sun-Mar is listed among the best consumer-grade private composting toilets for 2021 by Treehugger. AC Biode seems to offer the best price compared to those competitors. Starting at $250 a unit, the Japanese bio-toilet is cheaper than the well-nigh affordable product on that listing: the $425 Lovable Loo (price as of 10/31/2021). The Sun-Mar unit costs $1799 on Lehman's website, while the Nature's Head and Separett Villa products are priced at about $chiliad.

Too the consumer product, Air-conditioning Biode provides larger centralized units that operate with multiple bio-toilets in remote areas. Similarly, Sun-Mar offers a large-capacity central composting system with a patented pattern that also requires manual rotation. The Bio-drum (see graphic) needs a full ten revolutions every ii to 3 days while in apply, co-ordinate to the Lord's day-Mar'southward representative who replied to my electronic mail.

The cheapest AC Biolet ($250), partly made of cardboard (run across below), does not have a rotating mechanism. Other not-electric AC Biode products require a bicycle to power the compost rotation (encounter paradigm beneath). The number of revolutions and the frequency depend on the humidity and the amount of waste product. The downside of Sunday-Mar is the necessity of buying their proprietary bulking fabric, Compost Sure Green, alongside their Microbe Mix and Compost Mix containing microbes and enzymes that actuate the composting procedure.

Product photos courtesy of AC BIODE – content from AC Biode

AC Biode has already built over 3000 toilets worldwide in various locations and is looking for a distributor to enter the U.Due south. marketplace. The company is based in Tokyo, Luxemburg, and Cambridge, UK.

Photos courtesy of Air conditioning Biode

The bio-toilet by Air conditioning Biode seems to be a perfect sustainable solution for remote areas with lilliputian water, natural disasters, construction sites, nursing homes, ships, natural parks, and pets.

Called-for Man, which operated i,700 chemical porta-potties in 2017, could profoundly do good from the Japanese startup'due south dark-green and odorless solutions. The famous Black Stone Desert annual festival is experiencing a significant challenge processing human waste product for over seventy,000 people within the National Conservation Area (NCA), where organizers have to respect strict environmental regulations.

The company is also developing the "earth's first standalone AC Battery" (Alternating Current vs. DC Straight Current). Tadashi Kubo confirmed that his startup plans to use the Air conditioning Bombardment to equip the AC Biolet electric products in the time to come. I wish that such batteries could also replace the bicycle that powers the composting process for non-electric units.

Images and content by AC Biode – Editor's note: at Burning Man 2012, mobile toilets were emptied every morning and at the finish of the day, the olfactory property was atrocious ( I was there)

Filed in . Read more about Eco (environment), Eco-friendly, Editorspick, Japan and Startup.