Aquatron Eco Toilet System

Product Description

The Aquatron is an ecological toilet system which treats waste after being connected to ordinary toilets. The system does not require electricity, chemicals or moving parts, instead using the momentum of the flushing water to separate urine from feces and paper. The urine is treated either by a UV device or phosphorus trap to meet the standards of grey water, and then is infiltrated into the soil. The solid waste is composted in a bio-composting chamber and then can be used as compost.

Target SDGs

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Aquatron toilet systems are available for purchase directly from the manufacturer, or from partner retailers including Eftec, Rosie's Natural Way, Considera Ltd., Raita, Berger Biotechik GmbH, Pangaea TradeTeam, Herr Ltd, Symbiotic Eco Solutions, NaturBauHof, Aquatron India, NZ Enviro Composting Toilet Systems, and Wastewater Center.

Manufacturing/Building Method

The systems are made entirely of plastic, both recyclable polyethylene and glass-reinforced polyester. When configuring the system, it should be located between 32 inches and 200 feet from the toilet and sloped between 1-5%. The Aquatron can be installed in various configurations (shown below), depending on the specific application.

Intellectural Property Type

Trademark

User Provision Model

Users can purchase the Aquatron toilet system directly from the manufacturer, or from partner retailers.

Distributions to Date Status

8,000. Email from representative

Toilet type

Accessory

Evacuation method

Flush

Storage conditions

Container-storage

Capacity (L)

50-1200 L

Time until emptying

Smallest model needs to be emptied approximately every 150 visits.
Larger models need to be emptied approximately every year.

Design Specifications

The Aquatron ecological toilet system was designed to be easily integrated into existing, common toilet systems. The separator is configured without moving parts and does not require additional energy, instead using the momentum of the flushed waste to separate water from feces and paper. Various composting chamber sizes are available depending on the scale of usage; the systems can accommodate from a single family to an entire apartment building.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Technical support is provided by the manufacturer, with recommendations to replace the UV lamp after 4-5 years and the phosphorus trap after 1 year.

Replacement Components

Replacement components can be purchased from the manufacturer or retailers.

Lifecycle

With regular maintenance, the manufacturer estimates a life span of 50 years for the Aquatron.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The manufacturer specifies performance targets related to no capacity limit on toilet usage, no required discharging of black water or sludge, and an economical operation of toilets. The toilet requires no electricity and creates easy opportunities to compost.

Vetted Performance Status

The Aquatron has been certified to be environmentally friendly throughout its lifecycle by the Confederation of Indian Industry Green Products and Services Council. Aquatron has received a variety of awards and certificates which are documented on their website.

Safety

The system was designed to ensure that users did not have contact with unsanitary human waste.

Complementary Technical Systems

The standard Aquatron toilet system can be coupled with either a UV lamp or a phosphorus trap to further treat separated urine and water.

Academic Research and References

Vinneras, B. & Jonsson, H., 2002, The performance and potential of faecal separation and urine diversion to recycle plant nutrients in household wastewater, Bioresource Technology 84(3): 275-282.

Green, W. & Ho, G., 2005, Small scale sanitation technologies. Water Science & Technology 51(10): 29-38.

Vinneras, B. & Jonsson, H., 2001, Faecal separation for nutrient management––evaluation of different separation techniques, Urban Water 4(4): 321-329.

Vinneras, B., 2001, Faecal separation and urine diversion for nutrient management of household biodegradable waste and wastewater, Licentiate Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Renman A., 2008, On-site wastewater treatment-polonite and other filter matierials for removal of metals, nitrogen, and phosphorus, Ph.D. Thesis, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden.

Cabanas, V. C., 2007, Phosphorus recycling from wastewater to agriculture using reactive filter media, Licentiate Thesis, Thesis, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden.

Aquatron. (n.d.). Available: https://www.aquatron.se/

Aquatron – This is how a real ecologic toilet works. (n.d.). Available: https://www.aquatron.se/how-it-works/

Aquatron – Contact us. (n.d.) Available: https://www.aquatron.se/contact/

Aquatron UK. (n.d.). Available: https://www.aquatron.org.uk/index.php

Aquatron India. (n.d.). Available: https://www.aquatron.co.in/

Raita Environment. (n.d.). Available: https://raita.com/

Berger Biotechnik GmbH. (n.d.). Available: https://shop.berger-biotechnik.de/

Pangaea. (n.d.). Available: https://www.pangaea.co.in/

Herr. (n.d.). Available: https://herr.ie/

Natur Bauhof. (n.d.). Available: https://www.naturbauhof.de/

NZ Enviro Composting Toilet Systems. (n.d.). Available: https://envirocompostingtoilets.co.nz/

Wastewater center. (n.d.). Available: https://www.wastewatercenter.com/

Goal 6. (n.d.). Available: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6

Compliance with regulations

The Aquatron toilet system can be coupled with UV or a phosphorus trap to further treat wastewater, if required by local regulations. In addition in accordance with regulations, the composted materials emptied from the Aquatron 50, 2x50 and 90 must continue the composting process with normal garden or kitchen waste, while the models 4x100, 4x200 and 4x300 require no further composting. The product is approved by the European Organization for Technical Assessment.

Evaluation methods

The Aquatron was evaluated based on its ability to separate nutrients from waste, the amount of water recycled by the system, and the volume of compost produced.

Other Information

The Aquatron Solid-Liquid Separator has been certified by the CII-GreenPro.

Aquatron has received a variety of awards and certificates.

The product is approved by the EOTA.