clivus minimus/ multrum

Hey all!

Anybody ever build one of those clivus minimus composting toilets?
I  can only find partial information on construction. The only  full construction diagram I found is by building it from blocks and cement and that seems a bit much.
I would like to use lighter/cheep/ salvaged materials or something that use an existing drum.
Any ideas or possible directions?

Why is this the toilet you aspire to build?

Chad Sentman wrote:Why is this the toilet you aspire to build?

Looks like it's the most efficient. no need to handle buckets and so. It looks like a more permanent solution.
Do you have experience with it?

I don't have experience with it, but I consider it to be one of the more inferior composting toilets.

In my mind, its only redeeming quality is that it separates urine from feces, giving it a SMALL advantage over pit latrines.  I don't consider it a true composting toilet, because aged manure is not compost.  It's more of a combination of rotting and dehydrating.

I've done a bit of research, and in my mind, the highest, best use of excrement is in restoring soil, and the best way to do that seems to be Terra Preta Sanitation, as I describe in this forum post.

Thank you Chad, I researched a lot and haven't came a cross this concept. Very interesting.
I would not say though that it is not a composting toilet. aerobic composting is composting and the end result is nutrient rich compost.
Terra preta seems to have an advantage on that but it seems that it's a more complicated system to implement, having to have an air tight chamber, charcoal mix and the initial Microbial Mix.

It is a very interesting concept though and perhaps I'll be convinced to consider it instead of the aerobic toilet as I read more
The charcoal wood stove chapter is also very interesting for me.

Hi, I built 5 of McGill University's Clivus minimus "composters". I put composter in quotes because non of these ever reached temperatures associated with composting, they really are mouldering toilets. Be happy to telll you what we learned if you are still considering building one.