Posted Nov 22, 2022 10:42 AMUpdated Nov. 22, 2022, 11:06 a.m.
How to save toilet water? One option is to simply not use any at all like with dry toilets. The approach developed by WeCo consists of reusing this water in a closed circuit. The young company born in 2014 worked in partnership with the California Institute of Technology before developing its own technology “now patented and which has won numerous awards”, specifies Cécile Dekeuwer, founder and CEO of WeCo.
For the user, no difference with conventional public toilets. Inside, however, they function like a mini water treatment plant. Once the flush is drawn, the effluent undergoes an initial bacteriological treatment and the solids are digested and sedimented at the bottom of the tank. The liquids pass through an electrolysis reactor which produces water which is then reused to supply the flush. The system thus does not require a connection to the water network and has several weeks of autonomy between two emptyings.
In Senegal, a first toilet will be installed powered by solar panels. WeCo is now working with Alstom to adapt the system to trains. The young company, about to complete a fundraiser, has also entered into a partnership with the CityGie group and its subsidiary Francioli, a manufacturer of public toilets.
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