Circular economy: Nantes startup Etteliot invents an innovative urine treatment 

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© Etteliot

Etteliot is a startup based in Nantes, Atlantic France, which aims to “turn the world of toilets upside down”. To reach its goal, the company offers a solution that can be applied to dry toilets with a separation system, thanks to a small box that treats and then releases the urine in the form of a mist. 

8 to 10 litres of drinking water is used per flush, which is about 36 litres of water per person per day. Being aware of this astronomical amount of water consumed by our flushes, the startup Etteliot set itself the challenge of proposing an autonomous and sustainable alternative to chemical and dry toilets. 

An innovative solution for autonomous and ecological toilets

Alexandre Evrard, a mechanical engineer and co-founder of Etteliot, and Gustav Sievers, a doctor of environmental sciences specialising in electrochemistry, joined forces in 2020 to relaunch a project which was initiated in 2016. 

They have developed a process for treating urine and excrement by electrolysis, based on two patents. Etteliot is preparing for the launch of a first system which is designed to manage urine (which accounts for 80% of human waste). Known as Etteliot S, it is intended for dry toilets with separation systems. It detects urine in the tank and pumps it out before treating it by electrolysis to eliminate bacteria and odours. The evacuation takes the form of a mist via an ultrasound process. 

The startup was a winner of the Manufacturing Factory programme offered by the Atlanpole competitiveness cluster, and was also supported by the IMT Atlantique school. It is working on raising funds that will enable them to develop a second product for the treatment of excrements within the next 1 – 2 years. 

A solution for users of vans and recreational vehicles

The startup Etteliot is initially targeting the tourism sector, particularly for recreational vehicles such as vans which are equipped with a dry toilet with a separator. The product is also aimed at the boating, construction and tiny-houses sectors, which are on the rise.

A project to recycle urine in repellent

The apprentice mechanical engineer Nathan Settbon and fellow students have won a prize during an Agreen Startup hackathon, organised in Le Mans, in the Atlantic France region. The team has developed a rodent repellent made from human urine to help farmers whose crops get ravaged by wild boar. Their product could be on the market in two years’ time.

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