Clivus
Encyclopedia
Clivus multrum is a type of composting toilet
and the name of a company that markets this brandname of composting toilets. "Clivus
" is Latin
for incline or slope; "multrum" is a Swedish composite word meaning "compost room," thus a "Clivus Multrum" is an inclining compost room.
The first prototype was first built in 1939 in Tyresö, Sweden
by art
teacher
Rikard Lindström, who owned a property on the Baltic Sea
in Stockholm, Sweden
. Lindström built a single chamber concrete tank, with sloped bottom and chimney
, for disposal of kitchen and toilet waste. It functioned for several decades and was eventually patented in 1962. In 1964, the first commercial model was constructed out of fiberglass
. It was largely without commercial success due to difficulties with aligning kitchen, toilet and the relatively large composting tank. The sloping bottom which was the core of the patent also turned out not to work as the patent described: compost never moved down the slope to be collected in the compost compartment.
In the 1970s, Abby Rockefeller
, in the United States, read about the idea and wanted to buy a system, but was told they were not for sale due to lack of technical support. In 1973, Rockefeller founded Clivus Multrum, Inc. in Massachusetts
under license from Lindström to market its composting toilet. The brand of Clivus Multrum composting toilets is marketed globally.
Clivus Multrum today has designed a number of different prototypes and sizes. The process is advertised as enclosed, long-term composting and is characterized as being odor-free, low maintenance, and able to yield a clean, pathogen
-free fertilizer
that can be used in agriculture
.
Composting toilet
A composting toilet is a dry toilet that using a predominantly aerobic processing system that treats excreta, typically with no water or small volumes of flush water, via composting or managed aerobic decomposition...
and the name of a company that markets this brandname of composting toilets. "Clivus
Clivus
Clivus multrum is a type of composting toilet and the name of a company that markets this brandname of composting toilets. "Clivus" is Latin for incline or slope; "multrum" is a Swedish composite word meaning "compost room," thus a "Clivus Multrum" is an inclining compost room.- History :The first...
" is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for incline or slope; "multrum" is a Swedish composite word meaning "compost room," thus a "Clivus Multrum" is an inclining compost room.
History
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
by art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
Rikard Lindström, who owned a property on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
in Stockholm, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Lindström built a single chamber concrete tank, with sloped bottom and chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
, for disposal of kitchen and toilet waste. It functioned for several decades and was eventually patented in 1962. In 1964, the first commercial model was constructed out of fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
. It was largely without commercial success due to difficulties with aligning kitchen, toilet and the relatively large composting tank. The sloping bottom which was the core of the patent also turned out not to work as the patent described: compost never moved down the slope to be collected in the compost compartment.
In the 1970s, Abby Rockefeller
Abby Rockefeller
Abby Rockefeller, born 1943, is a member of the Rockefeller family.- Biography :Abby Rockefeller is the eldest and most rebellious daughter of David Rockefeller, Sr.. She was drawn to Marxism and was an ardent admirer of Fidel Castro and a late 1960s/early '70s radical feminist who belonged to the...
, in the United States, read about the idea and wanted to buy a system, but was told they were not for sale due to lack of technical support. In 1973, Rockefeller founded Clivus Multrum, Inc. in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
under license from Lindström to market its composting toilet. The brand of Clivus Multrum composting toilets is marketed globally.
Clivus Multrum today has designed a number of different prototypes and sizes. The process is advertised as enclosed, long-term composting and is characterized as being odor-free, low maintenance, and able to yield a clean, pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
-free fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
that can be used in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.