News release: “RTI received additional funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Reinvent the Toilet Challenge to further develop an off-grid toilet—targeted at developing nations—that converts human waste into burnable fuel, stored energy and disinfected, non-potable water through a new biomass conversion unit. The novel waste treatment system could significantly improve public health and quality of life among people in less developed countries. In August 2012, RTI was awarded a grant under the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. In August and September 2013, RTI received two supplemental awards. The first award will allow RTI to accelerate development of the toilet system and move from testing the system with simulated material to testing with human waste.
The second award will allow RTI researchers to move the project from component testing to a full prototype. The prototype will include a partnership with Roca (in Spain), the largest toilet manufacturer in Europe, to develop a user interface. The Gates Foundation launched the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge endeavor in 2011 to encourage new efforts to create a stand-alone toilet unit that does not require piped-in water, a sewer connection or outside electricity. The Reinvent the Toilet Challenge aims to spur the development of toilet units that cost no more than 5 cents per person per day and are easy to install, use and maintain.” [via Rachel Royce]

• See more information on the project at www.abettertoilet.org.