Cho Jae-weon, a South Korean urban and environmental engineering professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), developed an eco-friendly toilet that pays students cryptocurrency and turns feces into fuel.
The invention: The BeeVi toilet uses a vacuum pump that sends feces into an underground tank where microorganisms break down the waste and turn it into methane, according to Reuters.
- The gas produced by the system would later become an energy source for the building that could power a “gas stove, hot-water boiler and solid oxide fuel cell.”
- Cho explained that a person, on average, defecates around 500 grams a day. This amount can then be converted to 50 liters of methane gas, which could generate 0.5 kilowatts per hour of electricity or drive a vehicle for 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles), according to Hypebeast.
Turning waste into money: Students who use the BeeVi toilet can receive 10 Ggool (honey in Korean) cryptocurrency per day.
- It can be used to purchase coffee, instant cup noodles, fruits and books on campus.
- “If we think out of the box, feces has precious value to make energy and manure,” Cho said. “I have put this value into ecological circulation.”
Featured Image via Reuters
Support our Journalism with a Contribution
Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.
Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.
However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.
We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community.
Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for everyone’s support. We love you all and can’t appreciate you guys enough.
Subscribe to Shark Bites, it’s free!
Your top weekly AAPI news, in 5-minute snack format