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Previously, we only heard about bodies turning into dust in cremation, but now, advancements have made it possible for many things to be turned into dust, with one of them being feces. Recently, Bill Gates and Samsung joined hands to create a toilet that can transform waste into dust, ensuring environmental friendliness.
It is known that the project to create a waterless toilet and incinerate solid waste into dust by Bill Gates and Samsung has been officially completed. This toilet is inspired by the 'Reinvent the Toilet Challenge,' a competition by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that started in 2011 to provide new toilet designs for the safe, clean, and efficient management of human waste.
The founder of the billion-dollar Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates, is determined to develop a waterless toilet, contributing to water conservation globally. Combined with heat and biological treatment technologies to eradicate viruses in human waste at the root. The unit collaborating with Bill Gates this time is none other than the research and development team of Samsung Electronics.
According to the operating principle of this toilet, biological filtration technology will be used for liquid waste. Meanwhile, solid waste will be treated with water, followed by drying and incineration into dust. Although this method is relatively laborious, it compensates by saving water and being more environmentally friendly than conventional methods. According to Samsung's website, this method also allows for 100% recycling of treated water.
According to the Gates Foundation, this initiative aims to create intelligent and innovative solutions to protect individuals and communities from harmful diseases caused by human waste. It enables governments to implement in areas, public sanitation services, or extend to impoverished regions in Africa, considered the cradle of dangerous disease germs worldwide.
Reversing the course of history, flush toilets have seen little change in principles and operations since its first introduction in 1596 by Sir John Harington. According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the treatment of human waste has not seen much change. This concept will better protect human health by avoiding the creation of harmful bacteria, viruses, and diseases.
According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, currently, over 3.6 billion people worldwide are using inadequate, deteriorating sanitation facilities, causing environmental pollution and serving as intermediaries for many disease germs. Currently, over 500 thousand children under 5 years old die each year from diarrheal diseases due to lack of access to clean water and basic hygiene.
In Vietnam, the situation is no better. In remote mountainous districts with difficult economic conditions, sanitation remains a challenging issue for ethnic minorities. Household sanitation facilities often do not meet standards and deteriorate significantly for various reasons. In addition, in remote mountainous areas, people have the habit of improper sanitation, indiscriminate urination, causing environmental pollution and affecting the natural landscape.
Therefore, if the type of toilet can 'transform' solid and liquid waste into dust, it is indeed a fantastic initiative that we need to learn from and widely promote.
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