Zodiac Aerospace is pressing ahead with its ambition to consign smelly aircraft toilets to history – and says that by the end of this year every Airbus aircraft will leave the factory with its recyclable Revolution toilet installed.
At the same time the company is “actively campaigning to convince airlines” to swap their existing Teflon-coated stainless steel lavatories for the Revolution version, says George Stachowski, director of business development at Zodiac Water & Waste Systems.
The toilet, first unveiled two years ago and currently in use with 19 airlines, features a removable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bowl with strategically-positioned air and rinse holes that “eliminate the smelly shroud” associated with traditional aircraft loos.
If you're wondering what causes a smelly shroud, Stachowski is only too happy to explain. Air vents have to be included at the top of the bowl to account for the tendency of some passengers to “flush the toilet while sitting on it to mask the sound” of using it.
“Air comes in and liquid gets out, which accumulates under the shroud,” he says. Zodiac claims that the design of the Revolution toilet resolves the unpleasant odour issue that results.
Get all the coverage from Aircraft Interiors Expo on our dedicated landing page
“It doesn’t matter what angle you spray at it from, nothing will come out,” says Stachowski.
The toilet is considerably cheaper, longer-lasting, fully recyclable and faster and easier to maintain than the toilets it is designed to replace – and with a price tag that is 30% lower, it is easy to see why Stachowski is confident that stainless steel toilets will eventually become a thing of the past.
In a bid to make the Revolution toilet even more environmentally-friendly, Zodiac is “looking at the possibility of using recycled HDPE to make the bowls”, says Stachowski. The only part of the toilet that is not recyclable is the carbonfibre pedestal, to which all of its removable parts are attached – but Stachowski says that this will also be recyclable in the not-too-distant future.
The toilet’s revolutionary design has not escaped the attention of the judges of the Crystal Cabin Awards, and it is among the finalists in this year’s Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment category. Zodiac is displaying the Revolution on its stand.
Source: Flight Daily News
