ALICE · Project

Turning Human Waste Into Building Energy With Compact Bioreactor Cabins

environmentPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

Imagine a small cabin that runs on pee and dirty sink water. You use the toilet, the waste feeds living microorganisms inside bioreactor walls, and those organisms generate just enough electricity to light up LEDs or charge your phone. ALICE built exactly that — a walk-in demo cabin where visitors could see their waste being turned into useful energy in real time through a digital display. The goal was to show people what bathrooms and kitchens could look like in future green buildings.

By the numbers

EUR 99,970

EU contribution for building the demonstration cabin

consortium partners including 1 industry partner

demo deliverables completed (structure, plumbing, electronics, interface)

total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Buildings waste enormous amounts of water and organic material that flows straight to sewage systems. At the same time, off-grid locations, festivals, and remote buildings struggle with both sanitation and energy supply. There is currently no commercially available system that converts everyday human waste into usable building energy at the point of generation.

The solution

What was built

A walk-in demonstration cabin with integrated bioreactors that convert urine and grey water into electricity. The build included a structural framework, functional plumbing with urinals and collection tanks, electronic circuitry for data gathering, and a digital interface that visualizes waste-to-energy conversion in real time — 8 demo deliverables completed across 11 total.

Audience

Who needs this

Sustainable building developers designing net-zero residential or commercial projectsDecentralized wastewater treatment companies serving off-grid or remote locationsFestival and event infrastructure providers looking for self-powered sanitationArchitectural firms specializing in green building certification (BREEAM, LEED)Municipal authorities exploring circular economy solutions for public facilities

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Green Building & Construction

mid-size

Target: Sustainable building developers and architects

If you are a green building developer looking for ways to reduce water waste and energy costs in residential or commercial projects — this project developed a functional bioreactor cabin that converts urine and grey water into usable electricity. The system was built with 3 partners including an industry player, and includes plumbing, bioreactor integration, and a digital monitoring interface. It demonstrates that biological waste processing can be embedded directly into building infrastructure.

Waste & Water Management

SME

Target: Decentralized wastewater treatment companies

If you are a wastewater treatment company exploring decentralized solutions for off-grid or remote locations — this project built and tested a self-contained unit that processes urine and grey water through bioreactors without needing connection to municipal sewage. The cabin included functional plumbing with urinals and collection tanks, plus data-gathering electronics to monitor system performance outside laboratory conditions.

Events & Temporary Infrastructure

SME

Target: Festival and outdoor event infrastructure providers

If you are an events company dealing with sanitation and energy at temporary venues — this project created a portable cabin designed for exhibition at biennales and festivals. It processes visitor waste through bioreactors to power LEDs and charge mobile devices, turning a cost center (portable toilets) into an engagement feature. The system was specifically designed for public use and data collection in real-world conditions.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does this system actually cost to build?

The entire ALICE demonstration cabin was developed with an EU contribution of EUR 99,970 across 3 partners over 18 months. This covered structure, plumbing, electronics, and the digital interface. Commercial unit costs would depend on scale and materials, but the project budget gives a baseline for a single prototype cabin.

Can this scale beyond a single demo cabin?

ALICE was explicitly designed to collect performance data outside laboratory conditions so that appropriate prototypes for market can be developed. The project is a stepping stone — it proved the concept works in public settings but scaling to building-integrated systems would require further engineering and investment.

Who owns the intellectual property?

The core bioreactor technology comes from the earlier LIAR (Living Architecture) project. ALICE was a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) focused on public demonstration rather than new IP creation. Licensing discussions would likely need to involve the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne as coordinator and the original LIAR consortium.

How much energy does this actually produce?

Based on available project data, the system generates enough electricity to turn on LEDs and charge small mobile devices. The project focused on proving the concept works in a real environment rather than maximizing energy output. Exact wattage figures are not provided in the available data.

Is this proven in real-world conditions?

Yes — the cabin was built for public exhibition at biennales and festivals where real visitors used the system. Deliverables confirm functional plumbing with urinals and collection tanks, working electronics, and a digital interface displaying real-time performance data. This is real-world validation, though in a controlled demonstration setting.

What regulatory approvals would be needed?

Based on available project data, the project did not address regulatory compliance for commercial deployment. Any building-integrated bioreactor system would need to meet local wastewater treatment regulations, building codes, and potentially health and safety certifications for handling human waste.

Consortium

Who built it

The ALICE consortium is compact: 3 partners, all based in the UK, with 2 universities and 1 industry partner (33% industry ratio). No SMEs are involved. The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne leads the project. For a business considering this technology, the single-country consortium and strong academic presence suggest this is still university-driven R&D. The industry partner adds some commercial perspective, but the small team size (3 partners) and modest budget (EUR 99,970) indicate this was a focused demonstration effort rather than a market-ready development program. Businesses interested in the bioreactor technology should look at the predecessor LIAR project for deeper technical foundations.

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNECoordinator · UK
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOLparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK — search for ALICE bioreactor project lead in the School of Architecture or Engineering

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how bioreactor waste-to-energy systems could fit your building or venue project? SciTransfer can connect you with the research team and provide a detailed technology brief.

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