College Students in South Korea Are Compensated in Crypto Currency for Eco-Friendly Toilet Use

A professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology created the Bee-Vi toilet to save water. 

Professor Cho Jae-weon, an urban and environmental engineering professor, designed this eco-friendly toilet that puts waste to good use. It saves water by sending the excrement to an underground tank where it’s broken down for methane, which is then used as an energy source for a campus building to power a gas stove, hot water heater, and a solid oxide fuel cell, which produces electricity.

The methane gas that comes from the average person’s daily defecation is enough to power a car for about ¾ a mile, according to Reuters. 

Professor Cho created a digital currency for the campus called Ggool (kuul), which means “honey” in Korean. Students can earn 10 ggool per day for using the toilets, which can be used at the campus stores by scanning a QR code.

Three of the Bee-Vi toilets are available within the building for students to use.

The professor is working on conserving water, and is also using some of what he collects to make manure for a campus garden. 

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