What is Bio Toilet?

The Defence Research Development and Organization, also known as DRDO, invented the Bio Toilets. These toilets are installed in public places, railways coaches, and colonies. Many senior scientists question the mechanism of Bio Toilets since these toilets use imported bacteria instead of cow dung.

The Indian Railways undertook several initiatives to move towards a “Swachh Bharat.” One such action is to eradicate the discharge of human wastes onto railway tracks directly. For the implementation of this initiative, the railways decided to introduce Bio Toilets. These toilets eliminate the release of human faeces from coaches onto railway tracks. It also eliminates choking and foul smell.

In this article, we will be talking about what is Bio Toilet and how does it work? The central focusing topics include what Bio Toilet is, how Bio Toilet works, some advantages of Bio Toilet, and a lot more.

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What is Bio Toilet?

Bio Toilets are dry, mechanized toilets used for the decomposition of human faeces. Bio Toilets decompose human waste into carbon dioxide gas, water, and methane gas through composting.

They are constructed using the technology of Bio Digester. The decomposition process takes place in the digester tank using high graded bacteria like aerobic or anaerobic bacteria.

These toilets are pretty different from the traditional toilets we use since they save lots of water and also help to keep the environment clean.

The Bio Toilets also help the railways reduce cost as the rails and fittings will not require frequent changes after installing these toilets. Previously, usage of the traditional bathrooms led to rail and fittings corrosion. But, after the installation of Bio Toilets, the corrosion has reduced, which helped the railways save a considerable amount of money. At least 95% of the trains under the Indian Railways system have successfully installed Bio Toilets.

Furthermore, the Indian Railways has planned to supplement the existing Bio Toilets with a system of vacuum flushing which will reduce the usage of water and ensure proper flushing of faecal matter. In many LHB coaches, the Indian railways have already installed Bio Toilets with the vacuum flushing system.

How Does Bio Toilet Work?

The Bio Toilets help in converting human waste into water, carbon dioxide gas, and methane gas. This conversion is done with the help of anaerobic bacteria. The human waste is treated at the source using Bio Digester technology.

The bacteria used for the Bio Toilets are collected by the Defence Research Development and Organization from Antarctica and tested in extreme climate conditions. The anaerobic bacteria used in the digester tank has adapted itself for working at low and high temperatures. For low temperatures, it can work up to -5°C, whereas for high temperatures, it can work up to 50°C. The bacteria convert the faecal matter into water, methane, and carbon dioxide gases.

The digester tank has multiple chambers, and hence the process of elimination of human wastes is efficient. As there are various chambers present, the anaerobic bacteria get enough pathways for converting human waste into water, methane gas, and carbon dioxide gas.

Working of Bio Toilet

The anaerobic bacteria inactivate all the pathogens which bring water-borne disease. The bacteria treat the faecal matter without the help of an external source of energy like air or sunlight.

The Bio Digester tank is filled with inoculums which consist of four different types of bacteria. The water trap system, which is present in the tank, prohibits air from getting into the tank; therefore, the faecal matter is treated in the seven chambers by the anaerobic bacteria present in those chambers.

After completing this method, water, methane, and carbon dioxide gases are the only thing left. The gases are released into the environment while the water is used for recycling in the toilets.

Benefits of Using Bio Toilets

1. The Bio Toilets do not produce any bad odour, and hence the issue of foul smell is removed.

2. The digester tanks present in the Bio Toilets are always clean and odourless, and the human waste is not visible in the tank.

3. The Bio Toilets require minimal to no maintenance. The staff also does not have to come in contact with the faecal matter physically.

4. As the Bio Toilets already come with embedded anaerobic bacteria for the process of elimination, the requirement of additional bacteria is removed.

5. Bio Toilets are environmentally friendly since they release Bio Gases into the atmosphere and also saves water.

6. Usage of Bio Toilets reduces costs since Bio Toilets do not corrode the rail tracks and fittings, and hence they don’t require alteration regularly.

7. The Bio Toilets also do not release the human waste directly onto the rail tracks, and hence the railway tracks are not an eyesore to the common public.

8. It also maintains proper sanitation and hygiene and keeps the bathrooms clean.

9. Bio Toilets require low consumption of water and thus saves a considerable amount of water from getting wasted.