Nankai Electric Railway Co., based in Osaka Prefecture, has replaced 73 conventional urinals at 18 stations with waterless urinals as of March 19, 2008. The waterless urinals were developed and manufactured by Falcon Waterfree Technologies Co. in the United States. This is the first large-scale installation of waterless urinals in Japan.

To make a contribution to conserving the environment, Nankai promoted installation of the waterless urinals, which can reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well as water consumption. The company estimates that they can reduce CO2 emissions by 12.7 tons and water usage by 22,000 tons annually; the latter is equivalent to the amount of household water used per day by 70,000 people in Japan.

Falcon Waterfree Technologies was established in 2000 and has been growing rapidly since then. It is also known for having Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, on its advisory board. The Falcon waterless urinal consists of a porcelain fixture and a cartridge that contains a unique sealant liquid. Because the liquid is lighter than urine, the urine passes through the liquid and flows out to a drainpipe.

The sealant liquid in the head of the cartridge prevents odor from escaping the drain. As the urinal is water free, the urine is not likely to react with calcium ions in water to create limescale, which is also a source of unpleasant odor. Another benefit is the significant reduction of operational costs because there is no water/sewage cost and drainage pipes do not need to be cleaned to remove limescale. Nankai plans to increase the number of stations with the waterless urinals.

http://www.falconwaterfree.com/how/index.htm
http://www.nankai.co.jp/global/index.html

Posted: 2008/07/28 10:35:29 AM

TAG Eco-product/Business , Energy , Food/Water , Manufacturing industry , Non-manufacturing industry , Transportation