The Joyride Blog
Weird Wide Web - University monetises the power of... poop─── 15:14 Mon, 19 Jul 2021
A South Korean university has developed a commode that makes use of human waste by turning it into power — and they pay for contributions!
Tired of flushing opportunities down the toilet, South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology created the BeeVi, a revolutionary toilet that not only conserves water but also converts human feces into electricity. According to BeeVi creator Cho Jae-won, each human expels about one pound of waste a day, which then produces about 13 gallons of methane gas. That’s enough gas to run a dishwasher!
Fueled by feces, the BeeVi graciously accepts your deposit and sends it to a storage tank where the concoction of microorganisms breaks down, and methane gas is isolated. In return, BeeVi will pay users in a digital currency called Ggool — or “honey.” A BeeVi is currently being used to power a lab on campus, with students earning up to 10 Ggool — enough to buy a cup of coffee — per day to use at the university store. Considering the end result for a lot of coffee drinkers, we’d say that’s a pretty full-circle deal!
Weird Wide Web - University monetizes the power of feces:
