This eco-friendly toilet pays in digital currency for its use
2 min readThe eco-toilet, which pays people in digital currency for its use, was installed at the University of South Korea. The toilet is connected to a laboratory using excrement to produce biogas, which is used as an energy source at the university.
Digital currency using the toilet
There is already a toilet in the world that pays for its use in digital currency. It was designed by a South Korean professor of environmental engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and is already in use, Reuters reported. This institute is one of four public universities in South Korea dedicated to science and technology research.
The toilet is called Beevi, a combination of the words bee and vision. It is connected to a laboratory that uses excrement to produce biogas and manure.
In use, a vacuum pump sends feces to an underground tank, which reduces water consumption and feces decompose microorganisms into methane. This becomes the source of energy used in the university building to power the gas stove, hot water boiler and solid oxide fuel cell.
Professor Cho Jae-weon, who designed the toilet, said:
“Feces have value for energy and manure production. I put this value into ecological circulation. “
He explained that the average person empties about 500 grams a day, which can be converted into 50 liters of methane gas. He noted that this gas can generate 0.5 kWh of electricity or can be used to drive a car for about 0.75 miles.
Beevi toilet users are paid in a digital currency called Ggool, which means honey in Korean. Currently, everyone who uses the toilet earns 10 Ggools a day. Digital coins can then be used to buy anything at the store on campus, such as freshly brewed coffee, a cup of instant noodles, fruit and books. Students scan a QR code to pay in digital currency.
Heo Hui-jin, a university graduate student, said:
“I always thought the feces were dirty, but now it’s a treasure of great value to me.”
News of this toilet has attracted some attention on social media, and some have described it as a brilliant creation. However, many people in the crypto community made fun of this concept and literally called digital currency the “king of shitcoins.”
What do you think about this toilet, which pays people in digital currency?
