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New, slippery toilet coating provides cleaner flushing, saves water

phys.org

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Re: New, slippery toilet coating provides cleaner flushing, saves water

#151

Post by JaRail »

tapland wrote: post #102
JaRail wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 3. Regarding the environmental friendliness of our coatings: Our product is based on silicone. It has been shown in the scientific literature that silicone can be decomposed naturally in soil within 4-7 days. It breaks down in silica, water, and carbon dioxide. "Based on silicone" does not mean "degrades like silicone." It also doesn't mean your coating will behave like the silicone "in the scientific literature."…

Can any remains be sorted out at common water treatment facilities?

Generally small particles like micro-plastics are too small to be filtered by treatment facilities. My assumption here would be no. It could be that a chemical/heating process in a treatment facility could accelerate the breakdown. That's just pure speculation though since we don't know enough to judge.

Re: New, slippery toilet coating provides cleaner flushing, saves water

#152

Post by NullPrefix »

stfp wrote: post #122
jacobwilliamroy wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also have the same concerns about your product.

Likewise. At massive scale, conserving water by adding more artificial/industrial runoff doesn't seem like a good approach, at all. This version of the world is behind us.

Given that the goal of this product is to reduce the water usage, it would mean that you not only add something to the water, but also reduce the total amount of waste water, thus increasing the concentration.

Re: New, slippery toilet coating provides cleaner flushing, saves water

#153

Post by mgleason_3 »

JaRail wrote: post #57
birgitt wrote: post #15

Hi Everyone! Birgitt here from spotLESS Materials -- we are commercializing this technology and some of the authors of the Nature Sustainability paper are part of our team. I'll try answering some of the questions I'm seeing. Would love to hear your feedback! Check out our products at: https://www.spotlessmaterials.com/shop Check out the full research article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0421-0#ci…

> 3. Regarding the environmental friendliness of our coatings: Our product is based on silicone. It has been shown in the scientific literature that silicone can be decomposed naturally in soil within 4-7 days. It breaks down in silica, water, and carbon dioxide. "Based on silicone" does not mean "degrades like silicone." It also doesn't mean your coating will behave like the silicone "in the scientific literature."…

I have concerns because the product descriptions and images don't say the amount anywhere or how long it should be expected to last and under what conditions - kinda feels scammy.

For example, is it 1oz or 20oz? Honestly, it looks like a tiny sprayer - maybe 1oz? How far will it go? Will that 1oz. treat 1 sink/toilet or 10? How long will it last?

I did see that the article says "...researchers also predict the coating could last for about 500 flushes". OK it "could" last 500, or it could last 1. The real question is how long "did" it last when you tested it and what should a normal person expect? Does urine affect it's longevity differently from poop? What happens if you use a toilet brush on it, or use various cleaning chemicals - will that shorten it's usable life?

e.g. from https://www.spotlessmaterials.com/store/p10/Sink_%26_Fixture...:

"Sink & Fixture Coating SKU: S008191114 $15.00 Our Sink & Fixture Coatings are popular amongst our early users. These coatings can be applied to any ceramic surface and are specially formulated for high-touch ceramic surfaces like sinks, toilet exteriors, etc. After application, you’ll feel the difference. Our coatings are ultra smooth to the touch. It’s that same smoothness that makes the surfaces easier to clean. With these coatings, cleaning ceramic surfaces required less time, effort, and cleaning chemicals. Do not apply coating to floors -- it is slippery. This coating can be refreshed with our Maintenance Spray."

Re: New, slippery toilet coating provides cleaner flushing, saves water

#154

Post by mindfulgeek »

johnpowell wrote: post #90
birgitt wrote: post #15

Hi Everyone! Birgitt here from spotLESS Materials -- we are commercializing this technology and some of the authors of the Nature Sustainability paper are part of our team. I'll try answering some of the questions I'm seeing. Would love to hear your feedback! Check out our products at: https://www.spotlessmaterials.com/shop Check out the full research article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0421-0#ci…

Time to get gross here. I have been dealing with neck/mouth cancer for a while and using a feeding tube for about half of my calories. My movements, depending on the alignment of the stars resemble the mortar used to join cinder blocks together. It is explosive and sticks to the bowl. I can flush ten times and it doesn't budge and I have to manually get in there. So I am going to try this. It is cheap enough and even…

Survivor of sinus cancer here. Not a fun experience but it worked. May you find NED and remain that way. Godspeed.

Re: New, slippery toilet coating provides cleaner flushing, saves water

#155

Post by toast0 »

joncrane wrote: post #148
toast0 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As of now, very few buildings have separate grey and black water plumbing. In the event that you did have separate plumbing in the building, you would need separate plumbing in the street as well. Unless you live in a very water constrained area, it's pretty unlikely. In the US, plumbing for reclaimed water is available in some areas (purple pipes), and seems like an easier intervention, it's often used for landscape…

Can you irrigate with water that has detergents in it though?

Yes, depending on the detergent content. Reclaimed water is usually water that's been treated for pathogens at the treatment plant, but hasn't had been through all of the post-treatment cleansing required before discharging into waterways.

Re: New, slippery toilet coating provides cleaner flushing, saves water

#156

Post by balnaphone »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #98
balnaphone wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One doesn't normally keep soil, with its rich microbial ecosystem, inside of their domestic toilet bowl.

One commonly puts something else with a rich microbial ecosystem in it on a regular basis.

Yes. However, it's "something else", meaning that the ecosystem is dramatically different. Furthermore, the majority of that ecosystem should be evacuated on a regular basis. E.g. bury an apple in soil during humid warm weather, and a week later it may be substantially decomposed; float it in a regular toilet bowl and it will recognizably still be an apple.
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