• Press Releases
    • Submit a press release
    • Read All
  • Contact us
Advertise
Bitcoinist.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Bitcoin
    • News
    • Price
    • Businesses
    • Acceptance
    • Technology
    • Investment
    • Regulation
    • Reviews
    • All Bitcoin News
  • Altcoins
    • News
    • Price
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Litecoin
    • EOS
    • NAGA
    • All Altcoin News
  • Tech
    • Blockchain
    • Security
    • FinTech
    • Price
      • Bitcoin Price
      • Ethereum Price
      • Binance Coin Price
      • Litecoin Price
  • Industry
    • Industry News
    • Press Releases
  • How to
    • Buy gift cards/mobile Top Ups with Cryptos
    • What Is Bitcoin?
    • Best Bitcoin Wallet
    • Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • Why Use Blockchain Technology?
    • Bitcoin Cash ABC vs. Bitcoin Cash SV
    • How to Buy Cryptocurrency
    • How to do Crypto Gambling
      • Crypto Casinos
        • Ethereum Casinos
        • Solana Casinos
        • LiteCoin Casinos
        • DogeCoin Casinos
        • Live Crypto Casinos
        • New Casinos
        • Instant Withdrawal Casinos
        • Cash App Casinos
        • No KYC Casinos
        • VPN Casinos
        • Offshore Casinos
          • Crypto Casinos IT
          • Crypto Casinos ES
            • All Guides
          • Crypto Casinos JP
          • Crypto Casinos SG
          • Crypto Casinos MY
          • Crypto Casinos KR
          • No GAMSTOP Casinos in UK
          • No Cruks Casinos NL
      • Crypto Betting
        • No ID sportsbooks
    • Play Crypto Games
      • Crypto Poker
      • Crypto Slots
      • Crypto Blackjack
      • Crypto Crash Gambling
        • Aviator Sites
      • Plinko
    • Bitcoin Mining
    • Best Bitcoin Brokers
    • Best Bitcoin Forex Brokers
    • How To Earn Bitcoin
    • What is Facebook Libra?
    • Ripple and XRP: The Complete Guide
  • Events
  • Play Games
Breaking News: US Lawmakers Urge SEC To Allow Crypto Investments In 401(k) Plans
  • Bitcoin
    • News
    • Price
    • Businesses
    • Acceptance
    • Technology
    • Investment
    • Regulation
    • Reviews
    • All Bitcoin News
  • Altcoins
    • News
    • Price
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Litecoin
    • EOS
    • NAGA
    • All Altcoin News
  • Tech
    • Blockchain
    • Security
    • FinTech
    • Price
      • Bitcoin Price
      • Ethereum Price
      • Binance Coin Price
      • Litecoin Price
  • Industry
    • Industry News
    • Press Releases
  • How to
    • Buy gift cards/mobile Top Ups with Cryptos
    • What Is Bitcoin?
    • Best Bitcoin Wallet
    • Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • Why Use Blockchain Technology?
    • Bitcoin Cash ABC vs. Bitcoin Cash SV
    • How to Buy Cryptocurrency
    • How to do Crypto Gambling
      • Crypto Casinos
        • Ethereum Casinos
        • Solana Casinos
        • LiteCoin Casinos
        • DogeCoin Casinos
        • Live Crypto Casinos
        • New Casinos
        • Instant Withdrawal Casinos
        • Cash App Casinos
        • No KYC Casinos
        • VPN Casinos
        • Offshore Casinos
          • Crypto Casinos IT
          • Crypto Casinos ES
            • All Guides
          • Crypto Casinos JP
          • Crypto Casinos SG
          • Crypto Casinos MY
          • Crypto Casinos KR
          • No GAMSTOP Casinos in UK
          • No Cruks Casinos NL
      • Crypto Betting
        • No ID sportsbooks
    • Play Crypto Games
      • Crypto Poker
      • Crypto Slots
      • Crypto Blackjack
      • Crypto Crash Gambling
        • Aviator Sites
      • Plinko
    • Bitcoin Mining
    • Best Bitcoin Brokers
    • Best Bitcoin Forex Brokers
    • How To Earn Bitcoin
    • What is Facebook Libra?
    • Ripple and XRP: The Complete Guide
  • Events
  • Play Games
Bitcoinist.com
No Result
View All Result
Breaking News: US Lawmakers Urge SEC To Allow Crypto Investments In 401(k) Plans
Toilet, a doll in top of a toilet

Talk About Renewable Energy: Toilet Turns Excrement Into Power AND Currency

Eduardo Próspero
by Eduardo Próspero
4 years ago
·
Posted in Altcoin News, Altcoins, Technology
Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

A professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea basically turned led into gold. The toilet he created uses human feces “to produce biogas and manure.” Not only that, every person using it gets paid in “a virtual currency called Ggool, which means honey in Korean.” That’s right, this eco-friendly invention turns excrement into energy and currency. What will Elon Musk say now?

Among all the controversy about Bitcoin’s energy usage, we at Bitcoinist maintained a simple stance: Bitcoin incentivizes green energy. It is the incentive that the world needed to develop new, cleaner, energy sources. Is this an example of such an invention? Not really. But it may be a sign of things to come. A hilarious sign.

How Does The Energy-Producing Toilet Work?

For the technical talk, we pass the mic to Reuters. They also have pictures and video of the device in action. 

The BeeVi toilet – a portmanteau of the words bee and vision – uses a vacuum pump to send faeces into an underground tank, reducing water use. There, microorganisms break down the waste to methane, which becomes a source of energy for the building, powering a gas stove, hot-water boiler and solid oxide fuel cell.

So, bee + vision. Now we know why the digital currency they created is called “Ggool, which means honey in Korean.” However, before going into the pseudo-cryptocurrency aspect of the invention, how much energy can it really produce? Is this a vanity project or does it have real-world implications? Well, according to professor Cho Jae-weon:

An average person defecates about 500g a day, which can be converted to 50 litres of methane gas, the environmental engineer said. This gas can generate 0.5kWh of electricity or be used to drive a car for about 1.2km (0.75 miles).

What Can Users Buy With The Ggool digital currency?

So far, the Ggool coin hasn’t been listed in any exchange. Its only use so far is powering a small economy inside the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. Each person that is part of the project “earns 10 Ggool a day” for using the toilet. What can they do with their Ggool?

Students can use the currency to buy goods on campus, from freshly brewed coffee to instant cup noodles, fruits and books. The students can pick up the products they want at a shop and scan a QR code to pay with Ggool.

So, the coin is not exactly a cryptocurrency. It doesn’t require mining and the only way to get it is using the BeeVi toilet. The digital currency only powers a small economy inside a campus, so there’s no problem if it’s centralized.

However, is this a sign of things to come? Could something similar mix with cryptocurrencies in the future?

BTCUSD price chart for 07/29/2021 - TradingView

BTC price chart on Bitbay | Source: BTC/USD on TradingView.com

What Else Do We Know About The BeeVi Toilet?

In a 2016 academic paper, that Bitcoinist could luckily find in English, the authors frame the project inside a broader and more artistic endeavor. The project aims to explore “the Convergence of Environmental Technologies with Design and Art.” About the toilet, they say:

There are three types of Beevi toilet in the pavilion; the first is a commercialized unit with which we can convert feces into compost in approximately one week, the second is a designed and fabricated unit that can produce powder out of fresh feces in about 30 min to 1 h, and the last is not intended as a toilet but as an exhibition of a model design and sitting experience. We opened our restroom to the public, available for viewing with a reservation, so that visitors can experience and obtain an FSM currency called Ggool.

That FSM there stands for “feces standard money.” Enough said.

Featured Image by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash - Charts by TradingView
Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.
ShareTweetShareShare

Sign Up for Our Newsletter!

For updates and exclusive offers enter your email.

I consent to my submitted data being collected and stored.
Eduardo Próspero

Eduardo Próspero

Follow

Eduardo Prospero is an author, a content writer, and a professional rapper. A Bitcoin maximalist in disguise. Working on a Bitcoin book. Beware of my Telegram impersonator!

Full Profile

Related Posts

Dogecoin

Grayscale Seeks Big Breakthrough: Amended S-1 Filed To Convert Dogecoin Trust Into GDOG ETF

1 day ago
BNB

BNB Price Rockets To New ATH Amid Explosive Blockchain Fee Growth – More Rally Ahead?

3 days ago
Altcoins

Altcoin Season Index Sets New 2025 High, What This Means For The Crypto Market

1 week ago
THORChain

THORChain Founder Loses $1.35M After Deepfake Zoom And Telegram Scam

1 week ago
Ogromne inwestycje Galaxy Digital w SOL

Galaxy Digital inwestuje miliony w Solanę. Co to oznacza dla rynku?

1 week ago
altseason ethereum eth bitcoin btc solana sol

Altseason Index Surges to Yearly High: Is This The Start of The Biggest Rally Since 2024?

1 week ago
Please login to join discussion

Premium Sponsors

Press Releases

  • Snorter надхвърли $4 милиона след...

    18 hours ago
  • ตัวละครสัตว์ Snorter หน้าตลกโผล่พ้นกำแพงอิฐ

    นักลงทุนแห่เข้าซื้อ...

    4 days ago
  • Little Pepe ($LILPEPE) presale crosses $25 million milestone as investors eye exchange listings and meme coin Layer-2 blockchain growth.

    Little Pepe Presale Surges Past $25M as Stage 12 Sells Out...

    5 days ago
  • As Demand Grows for Ease, MEXC Adds Apple Pay and Google Pay for Instant Crypto Purchases

    As Demand Grows for Ease, MEXC Adds Apple Pay and Google...

    5 days ago
  • Whales Buy Nearly $100K of $HYPER — Is This the Next 1000x Crypto?

    Whales Buy Nearly $100K of $HYPER — Is This the Next...

    5 days ago

Bitcoin news portal providing breaking news, guides, price analysis about decentralized digital money & blockchain technology.

Bitcoin

  • News
  • Price
  • Businesses
  • Acceptance
  • Technology
  • Investment
  • Regulation
  • Reviews

Altcoins

  • News
  • Price
  • Ethereum
  • Ripple
  • Litecoin
  • EOS

Categories

  • Blockchain
  • Security
  • FinTech
  • Technology
  • Trending
  • Breaking News
  • Press Releases
  • How to

About Us

  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
© 2025 Bitcoinist.com. All Rights Reserved.
  • Bitcoin
    • News
    • Price
    • Businesses
    • Acceptance
    • Technology
    • Investment
    • Regulation
    • Reviews
    • All Bitcoin News
  • Altcoins
    • News
    • Price
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Litecoin
    • EOS
    • NAGA
    • All Altcoin News
  • Tech
    • Blockchain
    • Security
    • FinTech
    • Price
      • Bitcoin Price
      • Ethereum Price
      • Binance Coin Price
      • Litecoin Price
  • Industry
    • Industry News
    • Press Releases
  • How to
    • Buy gift cards/mobile Top Ups with Cryptos
    • What Is Bitcoin?
    • Best Bitcoin Wallet
    • Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • Why Use Blockchain Technology?
    • Bitcoin Cash ABC vs. Bitcoin Cash SV
    • How to Buy Cryptocurrency
    • How to do Crypto Gambling
      • Crypto Casinos
      • Crypto Betting
    • Play Crypto Games
      • Crypto Poker
      • Crypto Slots
      • Crypto Blackjack
      • Crypto Crash Gambling
      • Plinko
    • Bitcoin Mining
    • Best Bitcoin Brokers
    • Best Bitcoin Forex Brokers
    • How To Earn Bitcoin
    • What is Facebook Libra?
    • Ripple and XRP: The Complete Guide
  • Events
  • Play Games
Advertise

© 2025 Bitcoinist. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Center or Cookie Policy.