LAUFEN – save!
The urine-separating toilet Save! is a full-fledged toilet that can be used basically anywhere, with an invisibly installed “urine trap”. In this process, urine is directed towards a separate outlet by utilizing surface tension, the so-called teapot effect. Meanwhile, solids, toilet paper and the flush water go down the drain as usual. No technical aids are needed to separate the urine, but a sophisticated geometry of the ceramic bowl is required, which is admittedly not very eye-catching. Save! is the result of a collaboration between Laufen Bathrooms, the Austrian design studio EOOS and the Swiss water research institute Eawag. The novel toilet follows the idea of “Source Separation Technology” in which the toilet wastewater is already separated at the source. This allows the various types of wastewater to be processed sustainably and valuable resources to be recovered. Human urine contains raw materials such as phosphorus and nitrogen, from which fertilizers can be obtained. Today, these substances enter natural waters, where they contribute significantly to dangerous nutrient oversaturation.
Comments of the nominators
This toilet, which at first glance appears completely unspectacular, conceals an innovation that is as remarkable as it is hidden: by intelligently shaping the ceramic body, this achieves a separation of urine from other excreta without the need for any further technical aids. This is an invention that could play a key role in future wastewater management and whose potential impact can hardly be overestimated.
Comments of the jury
The idea behind this truly innovative toilet seat addresses two problems at once: the expensive and time-consuming treatment of toilet wastewater and the waste of potentially valuable resources. The separation of urine made possible by Save! saves water, reduces disposal costs, protects the environment and offers the chance to make human excreta, previously treated as waste, fruitful in the literal sense. Thanks to its expertise and exemplary cooperation with the Viennese design studio EOOS and Eawag, Keramik Laufen has succeeded in translating this idea into a functional, absolutely marketable product that can only be wished the greatest success. A commitment that deserves recognition and applause and will hopefully be perceived in the industry as well as in the public sector as an encouragement to develop comparable sensible solutions.



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