Thread: Mars Colony Toilet: Tech Toilet (with bidet water jet and air jet) vs Toilet Paper

Ok so lets say we are throwing ideas for how a Mars Colony operates etc


a - Should the Mars Colony use high tech toilets with a pressure water jet to wipe your behind and a air pressure jet to dry and vacuum clean your behind...

or

b - recycle materials, manufacture rolls of toilet paper, store distribute and install the paper rolls in the colonies toilets ?



I think paperless option might be better, does everyone pretty much agree?

I think paperless option might be better, does everyone pretty much agree?

Depends. How is such a colony growing its food? If it's relying on waste materials to augment or maintain fertility for growing food, it might want to run some sort of composting system which would include human wastes. Maybe not toilet paper, but some fibre product made from inedible leaves or stems of food plants would do. And would balance the carbon-nitrogen balance of your composting process.

The other major issue of course is what is your water source. How are you cleaning it for recycling for human use or foodstuff production. I'd suspect washing skin and clothes would not be the best or first allocated use of such a scarce resource.

Actually there is a good chance that local water can be got in abundance from Martian permafrost and possible underground brine deposits. Just so you know. Plus being dirty is bad for morale.

Low pressure and temps on Mars should facilitate evaporation and condensation of waste-water. It would probably be desirable to keep urine separate from feces as much as possible, since significant effort in terrestrial sewage treatment is expended in denitrification, plus the moisture content is quite obviously higher in the case of urine. Many men are already in the habit of using urinals whenever possible.