AC Biode: Waterless Odorless Processing Turns Human Waste Into Fertilizer

Last month, I attended the digital Disrupt convention, the place inexperienced know-how was one of many hottest matters. The Japan Innovation Pavilion hosted the last session, organized by JETRO San Francisco, the Japan External Trade Organization.

AC Biode, an award-winning patented bio-toilet supplier, was one of many three startups pitching on the Japan Innovation digital stage, within the atmosphere group, alongside PJP Eye LTD (uncommon metal-free natural carbon battery), and Everblue Technologies (autonomous crusing answer).

AC Biode offered its patented waterless composting bathroom AC Biolet, which makes use of common wooden chips and round movement to remodel human waste into bio-fertilizer. According to Tadashi Kubo, co-founder, and CEO, AC Biode, the method is chemical-free, odorless, and eliminates the necessity for a sewage system.  AC Biolet doesn’t require any micro organism, or a selected sort of sawdust to work, in contrast to aggressive options resembling Sun Mar.

In current years, the demand for waterless composting bathrooms has considerably elevated. The “no-flush movement” is among the newest scorching developments that’s accountable for the “unexpected rise of the composting toilet,” in line with an article written by Emine Samer in 2019. Since the pandemic started, the development has intensified as a result of skyrocketing demand for RVs and the surge in tiny home sales.

Sun-Mar is listed among the many finest consumer-grade particular person composting bathrooms for 2021 by Treehugger. AC Biode appears to supply the perfect worth in comparison with these rivals. Starting at $250 a unit, the Japanese bio-toilet is cheaper than essentially the most reasonably priced product on that listing: the $425 Lovable Loo (worth as of 10/31/2021). The Sun-Mar unit prices $1799 on Lehman’s website, whereas the Nature’s Head and Separett Villa merchandise are priced at about $1000.

Besides the patron product, AC Biode gives bigger centralized items that function with a number of bio-toilets in distant areas. Similarly, Sun-Mar presents a large-capacity central composting system with a patented design that additionally requires guide rotation. The Bio-drum (see graphic) wants a full ten revolutions each two to a few days whereas in use, in line with the Sun-Mar’s consultant who replied to my e-mail.

The least expensive AC Biolet ($250), partly fabricated from cardboard (see under), doesn’t have a rotating mechanism. Other non-electric AC Biode merchandise require a bicycle to energy the compost rotation (see picture under). The variety of revolutions and the frequency depend upon the humidity and the quantity of waste. The draw back of Sun-Mar is the need of shopping for their proprietary bulking materials, Compost Sure Green, alongside their Microbe Mix and Compost Mix containing microbes and enzymes that activate the composting course of.

AC Biode has already constructed over 3000 bathrooms worldwide in varied places and is in search of a distributor to enter the U.S. market. The firm is based in Tokyo, Luxemburg, and Cambridge, UK.

The bio-toilet by AC Biode appears to be an ideal sustainable answer for distant areas with little water, pure disasters, building websites, nursing properties, ships, pure parks, and pets.

Burning Man, which operated 1,700 chemical porta-potties in 2017, may enormously profit from the Japanese startup’s inexperienced and odorless options. The well-known Black Rock Desert annual competition is experiencing a significant challenge processing human waste for over 70,000 individuals contained in the National Conservation Area (NCA), the place organizers must respect strict environmental rules.

The firm can be developing the “world’s first standalone AC Battery” (Alternating Current vs. DC Direct Current). Tadashi Kubo confirmed that his startup plans to make use of the AC Battery to equip the AC Biolet electrical merchandise sooner or later.  I want that such batteries may additionally exchange the bicycle that powers the composting course of for non-electric items.

Filed in Green. Read extra about Eco (atmosphere), Editorspick, Japan and Startup.