Photo: Ben Martin
For communities lacking any sewage infrastructure, researchers at Cranfield University, in England, came up with the Nano Membrane toilet. When the user turns a hand crank, a mechanical screw dumps both the liquid and solid waste onto a special nanomaterial that hastens evaporation. This dramatically reduces the amount of disease-causing pathogens and odor-causing volatile compounds. The water vapor, now free of salt and other elements in urine, is subsequently recaptured with the help of another nanomaterial. It then drains into a collection vessel for use in irrigation or as nonpotable water for household functions.
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