Urine Trap
Conventional urine-diverting toilets have a bowl at the front with a central outlet, similar to a urinal, to separate urine and flush water. When flushing, a valve must be activated to close the urine outlet and direct the flush water to the rear. However, toilet paper residues and blocked valves meant this type of toilet did not catch on.
We made a crucial breakthrough when we began experimenting with the “teapot effect”. Making use of surface tension, a liquid at low speed is channeled over an edge towards the back of the structure (the teapot drips); at higher speeds, the stream of liquid breaks up and flows over the edge. This principle makes it possible to separate slow-flowing urine and fast-flowing flush water without any need for valves or chemicals. A simple but disruptive solution that in addition remains invisible to users.
The interior geometry of Laufen Save! Toilet model has been developed for industrial production. The urine outlet is invisible, while a V-shaped groove helps guide and channel the flow.
As with any standard flush toilet, wastewater flows toward the back via a siphon into the downpipe (dark gray pipe system). The urine, separated through the Urine Trap, is routed through a smaller siphon into a separate urine downpipe at the rear. This urine piping (yellow) has a smaller diameter, similar to that used in urinals.
The collected urine is directed into a tank in the basement. From there, it can either be processed into fertilizer using a urine treatment unit or collected for treatment at a central facility.
Related
E 2019
Broken Nature
