save!
smart
sanitation
for a sustainable
future
INTEGRATED INNOVATION
Human urine is a rich source of phos-
phorus and nitrogen. These nutrients
are valuable raw materials in the pro-
duction of fertilisers used in agriculture.
However, at present, the nutrients in
urine often reach the natural waters
directly, going through the wastewater
treatment plants largely untreated.
When introduced into the water system,
nutrients such as nitrogen and phos-
phorus do exactly what they do on land:
they promote plant growth, contributing
to algae bloom and, subsequently, to the
formation of the so-called „dead zones“.
This has an impact on biodiversity and
the health of marine systems, as well as
on the economy, particularly fisheries
and tourism.
In times of increasingly scarce resourc-
es and dwindling raw materials, it is well
worth considering urine as a resource
rather than letting it go wasted in the
sewage system.
SOURCE SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY
If the waste streams are separated as
soon as they are produced, they can be
processed more sustainably in order to
recover valuable resources, and waste-
water management becomes part of
the circular economy.
In addition to that, the effort required
at the wastewater treatment plants is
reduced immensely, as 1.5 litres of
human urine currently contaminate
approx. 180 litres of wastewater.
URINE TRAP
INVISIBLE INNOVATION
Together with Austrian design studio
EOOS and the Swiss research insti-
tute Eawag, LAUFEN developed a
ground-breaking urine separation toilet
that opens a new chapter in sustainable
wastewater management: “save!”.
The key innovation in “save!” is the urine
trap, created by EOOS Design. It uses the
hydrodynamic principle of the tea-pot
effect to conduct the urine towards a
concealed outlet using only surface
tension.
The intelligent design of the ceramic
body ensures that the urine separation
occurs irrespective of whether the toi-
let is used by a man, a woman or a child.
Rimless and wall-mounted, “save!”
meets all industry standards and there-
fore compromises neither on comfort,
nor on hygiene.
A NEW PARADIGM
THE VISION
The installation of urine separation
toilets into hotels, public areas and res-
idential developments will lead to sus-
tainable and energy-saving waste-
water management, seamlessly integrated
the circular economy by efficiently treating
the collected wastewater, recovering and
recycling the preserved nutrients.
TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE
Silent Flush WC
The new acoustic
discretion
LAUFEN’s new Silent Flush technology
minimizes noise for the sake of family and
neighbors. The new function has been
introduced with the wall-mounted toilet
of the new MEDA and Kartell • LAUFEN
collection. Admittedly, the sound of flushing
may not be one of the most important deci-
sion criteria. However, after design, comfort,
hygiene and durability, it is indicative of the
quality of the toilet in everyday life: Silent
Flush ensures even more privacy and quiet
nighttime trips to the bathroom.
The innovative technology flushes the wa-
ter powerfully yet quietly in an optimized
spiral path through the toilet bowl. Water
consumption is reduced, and bathroom hy-
giene improved. The dynamic water vortex
flushes the rimless toilet perfectly clean with
as little water as possible. The new function
remains invisible on the outside: The use
of Silent Flush does not change anything
about the familiar design of the toilet. Enjoy
the silence.
“FINALLY A SANITATION SOLUTION
THAT IS FIT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY”.
TOVE LARSEN, PROFESSOR FROM
EAWAG’S DEPARTMENT FOR URBAN WATER
MANAGEMENT
467
BLACK BEE AWARD 2019