Ever been struck by the sickening stench once you go a public washroom? Effectively, that’s due to the uric salt current in human urine. When it is available in contact with water, it reacts and results in the formation of ammonia, which causes a stench.
As a potential resolution, biotechnology graduate Kedar Kulkarni (27) from Pune has developed a know-how that not solely reduces the odour but additionally saves water. He co-founded Rutu Biosystems — a startup that gives odour management, sanitation and water conservation.
“The way in which the urinals are in-built itself is an issue. The uric salt in urine will get deposited within the drain line, which then is available in contact with water. It reacts and releases ammonia gasoline. This may be handled utilizing our merchandise that not solely cancel out odour but additionally preserve water,” Kedar Kulkarni tells The Higher India.
In line with an IIT Delhi analysis, on common 4 litres of water is used to flush urinals and the determine may go as much as 10 litres relying on the bathroom. If a mean particular person urinates 4–5 occasions a day, complete water consumption can go as much as 20-40 litres of water a day.
Since urine is already in liquid kind, it doesn’t truly require water to move down the drainage strains.
“Water principally simply provides to the odour downside,” explains Kedar. “Water strikes the waste away from one level to a different, and due to the oxidation response, odour-forming gases are launched.”
Odourless and waterless urinals
What began as an organization to cater to odour management and waste administration has led to the event of a know-how that has saved tens of millions of gallons of water.
When Kedar’s father Mohan Kulkarni began Rutu Biosystems in 2007, their purpose was easy — to give attention to odour administration and sanitation. This space of biotechnology intrigued his father a lot that he left his electrical engineering profession to discover the world of biotechnology.
Watching his father work relentlessly, Kedar knew from a really early age that he wished to be in the identical subject. Quickly after graduating, he joined his household enterprise to take it additional.
Rutu Biosystem now has a variety of merchandise, and it runs programmes centered on attaining odourless and waterless urinals.
“Our know-how consists of three options that work collectively — a washroom cleaner, a urinal display screen and bio block, and an odour controller. The fundamental elements of those merchandise are micro organism and enzymes. These micro organism usually belonging to the bacillus household are discovered in all places in nature. We extract and use them in our merchandise,” says Kedar.
The micro organism and lively enzymes current within the bio block and cleaner react with the uric salts and produce nitrogen as an alternative of ammonia, which causes no stench within the urinals. This not solely helps to keep up cleanliness and sanitation but additionally saves water.
Kedar provides, “What makes our know-how totally different is its ease of set up. As soon as the merchandise are put in in a public place, we offer coaching to janitors to familiarise them with the know-how. Aside from that, there is no such thing as a want for further help. The bio blocks are merely positioned on the urinals. We remodel the prevailing urinals into eco-friendly ones, simply by changing their merchandise with our patented merchandise. So, our prospects don’t spend a lot to make this modification.”
Why waterless urinals?
- They don’t require any plumbing equipment, therefore optimising the price of working them.
- As much as 20 litres of water per particular person may be saved through the use of waterless urinals.
- There is no such thing as a want to the touch the flush mechanism after putting in bio blocks in urinals, therefore minimising the unfold of micro organism and illnesses.
- The enzymes and micro organism within the bio block take away the odour subject on the supply itself.
- The bio block for waterless urinals additionally solves the issue of drain and pipe blockages by breaking down uric salts on the supply.
An environmentally accountable enterprise
Kedar says that the hygiene trade within the nation could be very fragmented and that there’s a lack of know-how.
“Hygiene and sanitation include their very own set of issues as a consequence of lack of know-how among the many shoppers. Many don’t know that there are foolproof environment-friendly options obtainable available in the market for odour administration,” he says.
Kedar shares that the standard merchandise we use at the moment are superficial, they usually solely sort out the issue on the floor.
“We did many consciousness campaigns to inform the shoppers that there are higher and greener options,” he says. “Happily, individuals are actually extra conscious of the environmental modifications and the water decline on the planet and are looking for sustainable options.”
He provides, “All our merchandise are biodegradable and eco-friendly. They’re utterly non-toxic and innocent to the surroundings. By eradicating water from the entire equation and utilizing micro organism offers a inexperienced spin to our merchandise.”
Kedar shares that Rutu Biosystems has saved 700 metric tons of carbon emission, which is equal to planting 30,000 bushes. They purpose to construct extra sustainable and eco-friendly merchandise sooner or later.
“We have now saved greater than 55 crore litres of water by putting in bio blocks and different merchandise in additional than 15,000 public washrooms within the nation. The elements used within the bio block are all plant-based supplies, and a block can final for as much as 3,000 makes use of,” he says.
Kedar shares that their goal is to transform 50,000 extra urinals to waterless urinals by the tip of 2023. “We at all times purpose to dig deeper into the issue and supply an answer as an alternative of simply masking it.”
“Sadly households don’t have urinals and so our merchandise can’t be used at houses but,” he says, including that they hope to discover a resolution utilizing their water-saving know-how quickly.
For extra info, you may go to their web site or contact 1800 209 9650.
Edited by Pranita Bhat