Feces are worth money, at least in South Korea where a university uses human waste as an energy source for one of its buildings and pays students with virtual coins every time they go to the bathroom.
This combination of ecology and virtual currencies is made possible by a unique toilet designed by Cho Jae-weon, a professor of urban and environmental engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology.
Jae-weon explains that the toilet has been named “BeeVi”. It is an acronym between “bee” and “vision”. The eco-friendly appliance uses a vacuum pump to reduce water usage and send the waste to an underground tank.
Once human waste is meters underground, microorganisms begin to break it down. The result? They turn into methane, which in turn becomes a source of energy for the university.
They convert your feces into energy and pay you in virtual currencies
The energy produced by the ecological toilet, which is paid through virtual currencies, is used in a few appliances in a building. It feeds a stove, a hot water boiler and a solid oxide fuel cell.
The latter is key to generating electricity. It is an electrochemical conversion device that produces electrical energy directly by oxidizing fuel. Its cost is low and requires little maintenance.
Jae-weon’s calculations say that the average person produces about 500g per day of stool. This can be converted into 50 liters of methane gas to produce energy and a good virtual currency credits for students.
Precisely, 50 liters of methane gas can generate 0.5kWh of electricity. This, according to the engineer, could be used to drive a car for about 1.2 km.
“If we think further, feces have a precious value to produce energy and compost. I have put this value in ecological circulation,” said Cho, according to an article by BBC.
To motivate students, the university has launched virtual currencies called “Ggool”, which means honey in Korean. On average, students who use the toilet earn about 10 Ggool a day.
The credits are used to buy different campus products. From coffee to fruits, videos and even books. Payments in Ggool are basically managed via QR codes.