Andhra Pradesh: Scientist Develops Automated And Cheaper Alternative For Bio-Toilets Used In Indian Railways

A scientist from Andhra Pradesh has developed an automated technology for the collection of toilet waste to be used to maintain the toilet system of the Indian Railways. This automated system is easy to maintain and a seven times cheaper alternative to bio-toilets.

Existing Bio toilets in trains use anaerobic bacteria for converting human waste to gas, but that bacteria can’t decompose plastic and cloth materials dumped into toilets by passengers. Hence maintenance and removal of such non decomposed materials inside the tank are difficult.

The technology developed by Dr R V Krishnaiah from Chebrolu Engineering College is an automated system for the collection of toilet waste from running trains and segregation of different materials and processing into usable things.

The technology developed with support from the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), aligned with the ‘Make in India’ initiative, has been granted five national patents and is in the testing phase.

The automated system consists of a septic tank (which is placed under the track, i.e., train line). Its top cover gets opened when a train approaches the septic tank place by using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor and reader placed at engine and septic tank position respectively. The sewerage material in toilet tanks is dropped into the septic tank when they are mutually synchronized. Finally, the septic tank cover gets closed when the train departs away from it.

The collected sewerage material from train toilets is segregated such that human waste is stored in one tank, and other materials such as plastic materials, cloth materials, and so on are stored in another tank.

The human waste is further processed separately to convert into usable material. The plastic and cloth materials are processed separately.

“This technology has been developed targeting the Indian Railways specifically with the aim of cost reduction and to obviate the necessity of time-consuming anaerobic bacteria generation,” the Ministry of Science and Technology said.

“In contrast with Bio toilets which cost one lakh per unit, the new technology brings down the cost to fifteen thousand rupees only. Dr R V Krishnaiah has tied up with MTE Industries for further upscale of this technology,” it added.