Scientists at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in China have reported a new way to recover phosphorus and stabilize urea in urine. It could inform future water-saving or urine-separating sanitation systems, but the work is an experimental treatment process—not a newly designed consumer toilet bowl or a product launch.
What the SUSTech team developed
In a September 2026 university report, Assistant Professor Yang Lei’s team described a membrane-free process called electrochemical alkalization and oxidation (EAO). Rather than redesigning a toilet bowl, the system treats urine after it has been collected. SUSTech identifies Ju Luo, a master’s graduate, as first author and Yang Lei as sole corresponding author, with the university as the sole affiliation. SUSTech’s report
EAO couples mineral dissolution with electrochemistry. Wollastonite, a calcium-bearing silicate mineral, sits at the anode in a porous net. Oxygen evolution helps dissolve it and release calcium ions. At the cathode, hydrogen evolution generates hydroxide ions, raising the urine’s pH. Anodic chlorine evolution produces active chlorine species that suppress urease activity. The alkaline conditions encourage calcium phosphate to precipitate, while active chlorine helps limit urea breakdown. The design is described as having no membrane and no sacrificial anode.
What the experiments found
The results below are outcomes reported by the SUSTech team, not performance claims for a finished toilet or independently verified product.
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| Measure | Reported result | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Phosphate removal | 99.1% after six hours in synthetic urine, with concentration falling from 9.7 to 0.1 mM | A lab treatment result for synthetic urine, not a household-use result. SUSTech, 2026 |
| Urea hydrolysis | 6.6% in treated urine versus 92.0% in untreated urine over 30 days | The team reported substantially less urea hydrolysis in its treated sample during that comparison period. SUSTech, 2026 |
| Phosphorus recovery and urea stabilization | Up to 96.0% phosphorus recovery in real-urine experiments; urea stabilization for more than 10 days | These are reported experimental results; they do not establish performance in a deployed toilet. SUSTech, 2026 |
| Recovered material | 15.8% phosphorus content in the calcium phosphate | SUSTech said its bioavailability compared favorably with commercial hydroxyapatite; this is not proof of fertilizer performance in field use. SUSTech, 2026 |
How toilet use could fit into the idea
The team tested urine treatment under conditions intended to represent different collection scenarios: undiluted urine as a water-saving or no-water toilet case, and urine diluted five times as a public-toilet case. Electrolysis time was adjusted for the scenarios. In experiments with real urine, the report says dilution by a factor of two at a current density of 12 A m−2 gave the best energy efficiency. These are treatment-system experiments, not trials of a finished toilet.
That distinction matters in construction and sanitation planning. A toilet or collection fixture would need to separate or route urine to the treatment process, while the system itself would have to fit into a larger design for power, maintenance, plumbing, and handling recovered material. The reported study does not provide a head-to-head comparison with conventional toilets or other sanitation systems on water use, energy, cost, or deployment.
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Cost and readiness: what is and is not established
SUSTech reported a techno-economic analysis estimating a total system cost of about $4,995 and about $2.51 per kilogram of phosphorus recovered. These are modeled research estimates, not a retail price or a demonstrated operating cost for a commercial installation. SUSTech, 2026
The university account describes experiments and economic modeling. It does not establish a consumer toilet prototype, household field deployment, certification, retail availability, or licensing for the EAO system. So “reinvented the toilet bowl” is an attention-grabbing headline, not a literal description of the research.
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China’s toilet-efficiency standard is a separate issue
China’s current mandatory water-closet efficiency standard is GB 25502-2024. Published on October 28, 2024, it took effect on May 1, 2025, replacing GB 25502-2017. That standard concerns conventional water-closet efficiency; it is not a certification or endorsement of SUSTech’s experimental urine-treatment system. GB 25502-2024
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do not confuse it with Georgia Tech’s “Reinvented Toilet”
Georgia Tech’s Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet (G2RT) is a separate initiative. A November 2022 Georgia Tech account described a front end using one cup of water with vacuum assistance, alongside backend waste-treatment prototypes, and said field trials in South Africa, India, and China were being prepared at that time. That is a historical account of plans, not confirmation of their present status. Georgia Tech, 2022
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Duke’s WaSH-AID page says LIXIL became the first commercial license partner for G2RT consortium technologies in early 2024. That licensing information applies to the G2RT consortium technologies; it does not establish a license or commercial availability for SUSTech’s EAO system. Duke WaSH-AID
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