Apparatus and Method of Environment-Friendly Collecting and Processing Human Excreta

Abstract

The popularly used toilets waste tons of water every year, and laying sewage is very costly. To save money and prevent environment, the present invention is an apparatus and method of environment-friendly collecting and processing human excreta including but not limited to environment-friendly bag (EB), man's environment-friendly bag (MEB), and woman's environment-friendly bag (WEB). Each of them is constituted by a pair of flexible film panels with a desired shape, a pair of lockable track/structures and a slider. Every part is made from biodegradable, waterproofing, and flexible material with suitable mechanical properties. The present invention also includes an environmental-friendly toilet with light and cheap material allowing EB to be adapted and a processing equipment converting human excreta into methane and fertilizer. The present invention allows human excreta to be collected and processed, and helps saving money and water.

1 . An environment-friendly bag (EB), for a purpose of collecting human excreta during one's defecation or urination, comprising
 a. a pair of two flexible film panels, with a same suitable and sufficient characteristic, next to each other in parallel with a X-Y plane expressed in an X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system with an X axis in a left to right horizontal direction and a Y axis in a low to high vertical direction, having
 i. a shape like a mushroom with fat stem and a convex-cap atop the fat stem if viewed along a Z axis in the X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system; and 
 ii. all edges except a top edge of the pair of the two flexible film panels sealed together for forming a waterproof container bag having an openable mouth atop; 
   b. a pair of coupled lockable tracks/structures, each formed along a top edge of a flexible film panel, lockable to each other via a pressure pushing them together for being locked waterproof; and   c. a slider riding on both the coupled lockable tracks/structures being slide-able for locking the coupled lockable tracks/structures together for waterproof via a pressure carried by the slider when being slid.   
     
     
         2 . The EB of  claim 1  wherein the same suitable and sufficient characteristic, for the purpose, comprises
 a. a waterproof ability; 
 b. a biodegradability; 
 c. a shape; 
 d. a size; 
 e. a thickness; 
 f. a strength; and 
 g. a flexibility. 
 
     
     
         3 . The EB of  claim 2  wherein the size is suitable and sufficient for the purpose so that a lower portion of the EB can fit into a toilet bowl and an upper portion of the EB can be pulled outwards open for fitting and being placed atop a toilet cover. 
     
     
         4 . The EB of  claim 1  wherein the EB further, for the purpose including:
 a. for achieving a complete waterproof, once the top edges are completely locked together by a pressure or by siding the slider in a preset direction, under a reasonable ambient environmental condition including a reasonable ambient environmental temperature range within a reasonable number of days for the purpose; and 
 b. for achieving a complete biodegradability except that the slider does not have to be biodegradable if the EB is designed such that the slider can be removed, wherein the biodegradability helps recycling or converting collected human excreta together with the EB into fertilizers and methane gases to be collected as a natural energy resource; 
 
       comprises one of the materials from a group of
 a. bioplastics made from natural materials such as corn starch; and 
 b. biodegradable plastics made from traditional petrochemicals, which are engineered to break down at desired rate. 
 
     
     
         5 . The EB of  claim 1  wherein outsides of an upper portion of the EB are, preferably, coated with a thin layer of a stick-able/adhesive material for allowing the outsides of the upper portion of the EB to be stuck or secured on a toilet cover surface when in use, wherein the thin layer of a stick-able/adhesive material is coated onto the outsides of an upper portion of the EB in patterns, preferably, such that when two EBs are stacked together in parallel, there is nowhere having overlapped stick-able/adhesive materials. 
     
     
         6 . The EB of  claim 1 , the EB, alternatively, for a purpose of collecting human excreta during one's defecation or urination, comprising
 a. a pair of two flexible film panels, with a same suitable and sufficient characteristic, next to each other in parallel with a X-Y plane expressed in an X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system with an X axis in a left to right horizontal direction and a Y axis in a low to high vertical direction, having
 i. a shape like a mushroom with fat stem and a convex-cap atop the fat stem if viewed along a Z axis in the X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system; and 
 ii. all edges except a top edge of the pair of the two flexible film panels sealed together for forming a waterproof container bag having an openable mouth atop; 
   b. a pair of coupled lockable tracks/structures, each formed along a joint line between a portion with a shape of “a fat stem of a mushroom” and a portion with shape of “a convex-cap of a mushroom” of a flexible film panel, lockable to each other via a pressure pushing them together for being locked waterproof; and   c. a slider riding on both the coupled lockable tracks/structures being slide-able for locking the coupled lockable tracks/structures together for waterproof via a pressure carried by the slider when being slid.   
     
     
         7 . The EB of  claim 1  wherein the EB, alternatively, can be made as a man's environment friendly bag (MEB), for a purpose of collecting a man's urine during his urination, comprising
 a. a pair of two flexible film panels, with a same suitable and sufficient characteristic including a waterproof ability, a biodegradability, a shape, a size, a thickness, a strength, and a flexibility, next to each other in parallel with a X-Y plane expressed in an X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system with an X axis in a left to right horizontal direction and a Y axis in a low to high vertical direction, having
 i. a general rectangle or a bottle shape if viewed along a Z axis in the X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system; and 
 ii. all edges except a top edge of the pair of the two flexible film panels sealed together for forming a waterproof container bag having an openable mouth atop; 
 
 b. a pair of coupled lockable tracks/structures, each formed along a top edge of a flexible film panel, lockable to each other via a pressure pushing them together for being locked waterproof; and 
 c. a slider riding on both the coupled lockable tracks/structures being slide-able for locking the coupled lockable tracks/structures together for waterproof via a pressure carried by the slider when being slid. 
 
     
     
         8 . The EB of  claim 1  wherein the EB, alternatively, if it is made as a woman's environment friendly bag (WEB), for a purpose of collecting a woman's urine during her urination, comprising
 a. a pair of two flexible film panels, with a same suitable and sufficient characteristic including a waterproof ability, a biodegradability, a shape, a size, a thickness, a strength, and a flexibility, next to each other in parallel with a X-Y plane expressed in an X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system with an X axis in a left to right horizontal direction and a Y axis in a low to high vertical direction, having
 i. a shape like a mushroom with fat stem and a convex-cap atop the fat stem if viewed along a Z axis in the X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system; and 
 ii. all edges except a top edge of the pair of the two flexible film panels sealed together for forming a waterproof container bag having an openable mouth atop; 
 
 b. a pair of coupled lockable tracks/structures, each formed along a top edge of a flexible film panel, lockable to each other via a pressure pushing them together for being locked waterproof; and 
 c. a slider riding on both the coupled lockable tracks/structures being slide-able for locking the coupled lockable tracks/structures together for waterproof via a pressure carried by the slider when being slid. 
 
     
     
         9 . The WEB of  claim 8  wherein the size is suitable and sufficient for the purpose so that a lower portion of the WEB is suitable for personally collecting her urine and an upper portion of the WEB can be pulled outwards open for fitting and being placed at suitable position of her body. 
     
     
         10 . The WEB of  claim 9  wherein insides of an upper portion of the WEB are, preferably, coated with a thin layer of a stick-able/adhesive material for allowing the insides of the upper portion of the WEB to be stuck or secured on/under a suitable part of her body when in use. 
     
     
         11 . An environment-friendly toilet (ET), cooperating with an EB, for a purpose of collecting human excreta during one's defecation or urination, comprising
 a. a base board, for being placed on a ground, with a suitable and sufficient shape and size for the purpose;   b. a general stool or chair or toilet shaped apparatus (GTA), to be jointed to a top of the base board atop, for a person to sit on, wherein an area of the base at a ground level is larger than that of the GTA enhancing stability and safety; and   c. a bowl, with a suitable shape for fitting and placing an EB in for collecting human excreta, at a top portion of a level where a person can sit on, wherein the EB is replaceable with a new one after each use.   
     
     
         12 . The ET of  claim 11 , wherein the ET comprises one or more of materials from a group of plastic, rubber, wood, metal, and alloy. 
     
     
         13 . A system and a method, for environment-friendly collecting and processing human excreta, comprising
 a. using EBs and/or ETs for personally collecting human excreta;   b. collecting EBs filled with human excreta;   c. placing the collected EBs filled with human excreta (CHE) into a processing equipment (PE) for converting the CHE into fertilizers and methane gases to be used as a natural energy resource.   
     
     
         14 . The system and method of  claim 13 , wherein the PE comprises
 a. a container;   b. an inlet at a suitable location of the container for receiving the CHE, wherein the inlet has a cap for sealing the inlet after receiving the CHE;   c. a first outlet on a top of the container with a valve for outputting methane gas generated from the CHE during a decomposition process.   d. a second outlet at a lower portion of the container for outputting fertilizers generated from a decomposition process;   e. one or more sensor(s) or device(s) from a group of temperature sensor, biogas/CH4 density sensor, gas pressure sensor, pH value sensor, camera, and lighting device;   f. a data storage for storing data collected through the sensors or devices;   g. a device communicating the above sensor(s), device(s), and data storage with the Internet either wired or wirelessly for further communications including data and control communications with one or more external device(s) including a cloud server and/or a smartphone.