Method and device for removing chemical substances from human excreta

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for removing chemical substances from human excreta, such as faeces and urine, comprising the steps of: providing a toilet for a person who has to remove chemical substances from his excreta; releasably connecting a filter device to the toilet, wherein the filter device comprises at least one cartridge having a filter and being movable; transporting the excreta from the toilet to the filter in the cartridge by means of a transport screw, wherein the excreta is subjected to pressure by means of a plunger; filtering out the chemical substances from the excreta in situ using the filter device; periodically replacing the at least one cartridge; and, disposing of the replaced cartridge. The invention also relates to the use of a filter device in the method, and to a cartridge for such a filter device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a method for removing chemical substances from human excreta, such as faeces and urine, and other materials. The invention also relates to a filter device for use in the method, and a toilet comprising the filter device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Such a method is known, in particular from US patent application No. 6,317,900. In the method described therein, human excreta are collected in a portable container as a toilet and transported to a central processing facility. Drug substances present in the excreta are subsequently separated out at the facility and then destroyed.

[0003] Human excreta, such as faeces and urine, also known as stool, and other possible excreta, such as vomit, blood, saliva, etc., are currently generally discharged into a sewage system with water from a flush toilet and transported at a distance to a sewage treatment plant. In the sewage treatment plant, the contaminated water is purified and eventually discharged into surface water. In particular, this purification method is not sufficient or effective for removing (all) chemical substances, such as drugs, or for recovering valuable chemical (additive) substances, due to their (very) low concentration in practice. SUMMARY

[0004] It is an object of the invention to provide a method for effectively removing chemical substances, in particular drug substances (e.g. medicaments), from human excreta and / or personal hygiene materials (e.g. toilet paper, etc.), the method according to the invention having features for this purpose, comprising the steps of:

[0005] providing a toilet for a person who has to remove chemical substances from his excreta and / or personal hygiene materials (e.g. toilet paper, etc.);

[0006] releasably connecting a filter device to the toilet, wherein the filter device comprises at least a cartridge, the at least one cartridge being movable;

[0007] transporting the excreta from the toilet to a filter in the cartridge by means of a transport screw, wherein the excreta are subjected to pressure by means of a plunger;

[0008] filtering the chemical substances from the excreta and / or personal hygiene materials (e.g. toilet paper, etc.) in situ using the filter device;

[0009] periodically replacing the at least one cartridge; and

[0010] processing the replaced cartridge.

[0011] In other words, chemical substances, such as pharmaceutical substances or medicaments, are removed from the excreta at the location where the excreta are, i.e. at the location of the toilet. The significant advantage compared to before is that the purification can be performed more effectively and more specifically, namely directly in the toilet where the concentration of chemical substances is relatively high in the flushing water and the number of different chemical substances, such as medicaments, is relatively small in the flushing water. During the treatment, the chemical substances are preferably separated from the filter device. The chemical substances can then be treated separately, for example in the form of separate storage, separate destruction and / or reuse.

[0012] It is noted that this method can be applied to any type of toilet, and is therefore not limited to toilets of the flushing type. In addition to urinals, water / urine is preferably separated from the solid part of the excreta before treatment. In addition, this method can also be applied to toilets with or without a connection to a sewer, as well as to urinals.

[0013] It is further noted that the term "chemical substances" must be understood in its broadest sense, i.e. must be understood as any conceivable substance. The term "chemical substances" must be understood as at least and not limited to biological and organic substances, such as for example: substances that are generally at least partially extracted from plants, animals, microorganisms, fungi, viruses and / or bacteria, pharmaceutical substances and medicaments; chemical residual substances that are partially metabolized by the human body, such as medical / pharmaceutical residual substances and (medical / pharmaceutical) residual substances; micro-pollutants; synthetic substances; radioactive substances; and chemical elements, etc.

[0014] The plunger is preferably part of the cartridge, and more preferably releasable, i.e. releasable from the cartridge. In addition to exerting pressure on the excreta in the direction of the filter, the plunger can also act as a lid for the cartridge. This embodiment also has the advantage that the plunger does not need to be cleaned, since the plunger is always replaced together with the cartridge. When the plunger is also releasable from the cartridge, and thus does not form a fixed part of the cartridge, the plunger can compress a larger volume together with the transport screw. This means that the plunger can therefore move over a longer path, corresponding to the outer end of the transport screw to which the plunger can be attached. In other words, this increases the stroke amount of the plunger.

[0015] After the step of filtering chemical substances from the excreta in situ using the filter device, and preferably before replacing and treating the filter device formed by the cartridge, the plunger preferably acts as a lid for the cartridge.

[0016] Before transporting the excreta, the plunger is preferably releasably coupled to the outer end of the transport bolt, and this coupling is more preferably by a coupling element located at the outer end of the transport bolt, wherein the coupling element is preferably electric, magnetic, pneumatic or mechanically operated. The coupling element can comprise for example an electric gripper. Thus, the same transport bolt is used in each case, but a different plunger is used in each iteration of the method. Of course, although not necessary in each iteration of the method, the transport bolt is preferably exchangeable. The coupling element preferably comprises a gripping element that is movable outwardly from the coupling element and is configured to engage on the plunger.

[0017] The plunger preferably forms a barrier between the transport bolt and the excreta, and said barrier is here preferably an air- and / or liquid-tight barrier. The transport bolt is here not in contact with the excreta, which is advantageous in terms of hygiene and maintenance requirements. This is in turn that the transport bolt is not affected by the excreta, and thus, possible drive means of the transport bolt and / or the transport bolt housing are not affected by the excreta.

[0018] The toilet preferably comprises a receiving chamber for receiving the excreta, for example after flushing the excreta. The receiving chamber is preferably an elongated receiving chamber, and the transport bolt is preferably configured to move along the longitudinal direction of the elongated receiving chamber. The cartridge and the receiving chamber preferably form a joint treatment chamber, and preferably in the step of transporting the excreta. The receiving chamber, the cartridge and / or the joint treatment chamber are preferably directly or indirectly connected to a vacuum pump, so that the excreta is moved to the receiving chamber, the cartridge and / or the joint treatment chamber by negative pressure. The toilet more preferably comprises an excreta inlet, which is directly or indirectly connected to the receiving chamber, the cartridge and / or the joint treatment chamber.

[0019] The cartridge of the filtering device preferably comprises a readable code, which indicates that a chemical substance is filtered out of the excreta, so that the cartridge that is replaced can be disposed of according to said code. Said code, for example a color code or a bar code, then indicates how the filtering device is constructed or filled for a specific application, for example to obtain a specific medicament or medicament group. In addition, said code also offers the option of environmentally friendly disposal or recycling of the cartridge of the filtering device and the specific medicament or medicament group after collection.

[0020] In a flush toilet, the method can collect the filtered flush water separately in a reservoir and reuse it again as flush water. Thus, the method can be applied to toilets that are not connected to a sewer system and / or toilets that do not have a fixed water connection. It can be chosen to add further substances to the flush water, for example a biocide or an odorant. The method can also choose to add an oxidation step before or after the filtration and / or air extraction or air treatment in the toilet.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the application, the chemical substances are filtered out of the excreta and / or personal hygiene material (e.g. toilet paper, etc.) immediately after the person has used the toilet. During the patient's stay in hospital or treatment, the toilet is preferably individual, so that specific chemical substances, e.g. specific medicaments, are isolated in the excreta of each person.

[0022] In a subsequent preferred embodiment of the method according to the application, the chemical substances are filtered out of the excreta by chemical filtration, preferably by adsorption, and / or by physical filtration, preferably by UF / NF. In the latter case, a membrane, preferably made of a membrane, e.g. a UF / NF membrane, is used. The membrane is preferably provided with a coating which is adapted to the chemical substances to be filtered. The coating and / or the mesh width and / or the adsorption properties of the membrane are e.g. adapted to the chemical substances to be filtered.

[0023] In an embodiment of the method according to the application, the filtering device comprises a first removable cartridge and a second removable cartridge, wherein the solid parts of the excreta and possibly personal hygiene products (e.g. toilet paper, etc.) are filtered, essentially by the first cartridge (e.g. by filtration), and the liquid parts of the excreta with chemical substances (e.g. urine and possibly toilet flushing water) are filtered, essentially by the second cartridge, so that the chemical substances are removed. In the first cartridge, the excreta are preferably filtered by a filtering structure. In the second cartridge, the excreta are preferably filtered according to the application (e.g. which chemical substances have to be removed) according to physical (e.g. UF / NF) and / or chemical (e.g. adsorption) principles. The first cartridge and the second cartridge are preferably embodied as separate removable units, respectively. In an alternative, the first cartridge and the second cartridge are collectively embodied as one removable unit. If the method uses a code, as described above, said code is preferably provided at least on the second cartridge. In a urinal, only the urine, i.e. the liquid excreta, has to be filtered, in which case one cartridge is sufficient, preferably the second cartridge.

[0024] The cartridges are preferably configured such that the excreta are first filtered by the first cartridge and then only by the second cartridge. The solid parts of the excreta, e.g. faeces, are filtered (preferably by sieving) by the first cartridge, and the liquid parts of the excreta, e.g. urine, are filtered (preferably by adsorption) by the second cartridge. Thus, the filtered residues of the solid and liquid parts of the excreta can be treated separately. In the case of chemical substances being medicaments, the largest part thereof will usually be filtered (preferably by adsorption) by the second cartridge. Thus, this can be taken into account in the treatment methods of the first and second cartridges, respectively.

[0025] In the method according to the application, the excreta are transported to the filter using a pressing technique, and optionally also using a vacuum technique. A toilet according to the pressing technique for transporting to the filter is also referred to herein as a flush-in toilet. In the latter type of toilet, the excreta of a person flow, in particular, through a transport screw of the toilet, to the filter in a (first) cartridge. The pressure in the direction of the filter is exerted by a plunger, which preferably forms part of the cartridge, more preferably part of the first cartridge. It is also possible or additionally provided that the plunger is (also) part of the toilet. Liquid excreta, such as urine and other fluids from a person, and possibly flushing water, are then carried to the cartridge, preferably from the first cartridge to the second cartridge, and from there the drug substances are removed. The toilet can also be embodied in particular as a urine-diverting toilet, in which the faeces and urine of a person are collected separately. For a urine-diverting toilet, the first cartridge is therefore preferably placed in the part of the urine-diverting toilet for faeces, and the second cartridge is preferably placed in the part of the urine-diverting toilet for urine. The replacement frequency of the first cartridge and the second cartridge can differ from one another, in particular in the case of a urine-diverting toilet.

[0026] The application likewise relates to a filter device, in particular for use in the method according to the application. The filter device according to the application comprises at least one removable cartridge with a filter, a transport screw and a plunger.

[0027] In an embodiment of the filter device, the plunger forms part of the cartridge, preferably releasably. The plunger can be releasably coupled here to the outer end of the transport screw, for example by a coupling element located at the outer end of the transport screw. The coupling element can be an electrical, magnetic, pneumatic or mechanical coupling element. For example, the coupling element can comprise an electrically operated gripper.

[0028] In another embodiment of the filter device, the plunger can form a barrier between the transport screw and the excreta, and the barrier can be an air- and / or liquid-tight barrier. The at least one cartridge can also comprise a readable code indicating the chemical substance.

[0029] In another embodiment, the filter device comprises a first removable cartridge and a second removable cartridge, wherein the first cartridge is configured to filter a solid portion of the excreta, and the second cartridge is configured to filter a liquid portion of the excreta with a chemical substance. The first and the second cartridge can be connected in series here, the first cartridge can be placed upstream of the second cartridge. The first cartridge and the second cartridge can together form a removable unit, although it is also conceivable that the first cartridge and the second cartridge each form a separate removable unit.

[0030] The present invention also relates to an individual, i.e. a single toilet, having a filtering device according to the present invention. Said toilet is preferably provided with a specifically developed software which communicates with said filtering device, i.e. said first cartridge and said second cartridge, so that only original cartridges can be used therein.

[0031] Finally, the present invention also relates to an individual, i.e. a single cartridge, for a filtering device as described above. Said cartridge comprises a housing having an inlet for excreta, an outlet for filtered liquid components, and a filtering material housed in the housing between said inlet and said outlet. Said filtering material can comprise at least one sieve, at least one adsorbing material or a dead-end membrane filter. Combinations of the above-mentioned filter materials are also conceivable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] The present invention will be further explained with reference to the figures shown in the drawings, in which:

[0033] Figure 1 A cross-section of a flush toilet with a filtering device is shown.

[0034] Figure 2 A perspective view of a urinal with a filtering device is shown.

[0035] Figure 3 shows three embodiments of filter cartridges of a filtering device, wherein Figure 3a shows a particle filter cartridge for a vacuum toilet, Figure 3b shows an adsorption filter cartridge, and Figure 3c shows a dead-end membrane filter cartridge.

[0036] Figure 4 A cross-section of a preferred embodiment of a filtering device is shown, which filtering device is based on a press technology for a toilet which is based on a vacuum technology in case of coupling or decoupling of the filter cartridge from the screw conveyor.

[0037] Figure 5 A view corresponding to Figure 4 is shown, wherein the filtering device is ready to receive excreta. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Figure 1A siphonic toilet 10, i.e. a toilet based on the push technology with a filtering device for excreta, is shown, wherein a screw conveyor 11 is mounted directly below a toilet bowl 12. The toilet bowl 12 is connected to the screw 11 by a closure 13, e.g. a knife gate valve or a pinch valve, or by a liquid seal (not shown). When they leave the toilet bowl 12, the contents (not shown), such as excreta (urine, feces, etc.), toilet paper, flushing water or other materials that can be present, fall onto the screw 11. The screw 11 then transports this content to the filtering zone by rotating around its screw axis S. In order to rotate the screw 11 around its screw axis S, a drive 110 is provided, which can be an electric drive, for example.

[0039] The solid parts of the filtered contents, e.g. solid excreta, such as feces, are passed through a filter basket 140, which preferably forms part of the first cylinder 14. In order to maintain the pressure on the filter 140, a pressure zone is used, which maintains the pressure with a plunger 141, such as a ballast spring. This plunger 141 is located at the discharge end of the screw 11 and works in the opposite direction to the screw conveyor 11. The solid parts of the contents, which press against the plunger 141 with greater pressure, will start to fill the collection section 142 of the first cylinder 14. Then, located in the collection section 142 are the solid parts (such as feces, toilet paper and other solid materials) stored there. The remaining liquid parts are then carried along the second cylinder 16 by a (peristaltic) pump 15 or using vacuum technology (not shown), wherein chemical substances, such as pharmaceutical substances, are removed therefrom. The drainable water remains and can be discharged through the water outlet 17, for example into the sewer or a storage tank (not shown), or can be reused (not shown)

[0040] The toilet 10 can optionally be provided with a collection element 120 for the liquid excreta component (such as urine) in the toilet bowl 12. Since it does not include solid parts, such as feces, the liquid component can be carried directly to the second cylinder 16 by the connection element 120. For this purpose, a transport conduit 1200 can be provided, for example. The toilet bowl 12 can also include a flushing mechanism (not shown), in which the toilet flushing water can be carried into the toilet bowl 12, for example under the L-shaped flange 121 attached to the toilet bowl 12, so that the toilet flushing water does not splash upwards towards the user of the toilet 10.

[0041] Figure 2A urinal 20 provided with a second cartridge 21 for filtering liquid components, such as urine and possibly toilet flushing water, is shown. The liquid components are deposited in an inlet end 22 of the urinal 20, from which the components are passed through an inlet conduit 23 into a buffer tank 24, where they are temporarily stored. The buffer tank distributes the components to a filter conduit 25 at a controllable flow rate, for example by means of a (peristaltic) pump 26 or vacuum technology (not shown). The liquid components are thus passed through the shown second cartridge 21 at a controllable flow rate, in which second cartridge 21 possible chemical substances, such as pharmaceutical (residual) substances, are obtained. After filtering and / or adsorbing chemical substances from the liquid components by means of the second cartridge 21, the water that can be discharged remains, which can be discharged through a discharge conduit 27 or reused.

[0042] It is clear that the above-described toilet is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, in a flush toilet and a urinal, the peristaltic pump can be replaced by vacuum technology. The toilet bowl 12, 22 can also be replaced by a vacuum system, in which, for a flush toilet, the screw 11 and the cartridge 14 are replaced by a particle filter device based on vacuum technology.

[0043] Figure 3 shows three embodiments of a cartridge for a filter device. Figure 3a shows an embodiment based on particle filtration, figure 3b shows an embodiment based on an adsorption column, and figure 3c shows an embodiment based on dead-end membrane filtration. These embodiments will be further explained below. It is noted that the form and structure of the cartridges described below are not limited to the shown embodiments, and a combination of the three embodiments is also possible.

[0044] Figure 3a shows a first filter cartridge 30. This first cartridge 30 is in particular a filter cartridge 30 based on particle filtration, i.e. sieving. This includes an inlet 31 through which the material to be filtered (not shown), for example excrements and possibly personal hygiene material (such as toilet paper, etc.), possibly toilet flushing water, etc., is carried into the filter cartridge 30. The material enters through the inlet 31 in a filter basket 32, where solid particles are filtered / blocked from the material by the structure of the filter basket 32. The material that remains after the filtration can possibly have a liquid part that can be discharged from the filter cartridge 30 and through an outlet 33 for reuse or to be carried to a subsequent filter 30, 40, 50 coupled to the outlet 33, for example a filter 40, 50 as shown in figures 3b and 3c. The filter basket 32 can be configured to filter particles having a preset particle diameter. The particle diameter can be chosen for a specific application. It is also conceivable that the filter basket 32 partly or entirely consists of one or more membranes (not shown), in which the material can be filtered, for example at a molecular level. The filter cartridge 30 is preferably used in a vacuum toilet. The filter cartridge 30 is preferably configured to be removable from the toilet for replacement. The filter cartridge 30 can take the form of (partly) reusable, (partly) biodegradable and / or (partly) disposable.

[0045] Fig. 3b shows a second filter cartridge 40. This filter cartridge 40 is in particular an adsorption-based filter cartridge 40. This comprises an inlet 41 through which material to be filtered (not shown), for example excrements, is carried into the filter cartridge 40. The filter cartridge 40 preferably comprises a plurality of compartments 42a-d which are separated from one another by adsorption material 43a-c. The adsorption material 43a-c can be identical to one another or different from one another. When the adsorption material 43a-c is different from one another, different chemical substances (not shown) can be filtered from the material to be filtered in each compartment 42a-d, for example. The adsorption material 43 can be, for example, activated carbon. The inlet 41 preferably first carries the material to be filtered into the lower compartment 42d, i.e. the compartment which is farthest away from the side from which the filter device 40 is removed from the inlet 41. By means of a pressure or vacuum applied on the material to be filtered, the material to be filtered rises from the compartment 42d to the compartment 42c and from there to the compartment 42b and so on, up to the upper compartment 42a. In the process, the material to be filtered is filtered by each adsorption material 43a-c at least by means of adsorption. The adsorption material 43a-c can additionally also comprise a particle filtration function, so that solid particles extracted from the material to be filtered remain in the defined compartments 42a-d. Preferably, arranged in the upper compartment 42a is a candle filter 44 which filters solid components from the material to be filtered. The candle filter 44 also ensures that the adsorption material 43a-c does not flow out of the filter cartridge 40. By means of a pressure or vacuum applied on the material to be filtered, the material to be filtered is again carried through the candle filter 44. Arranged in the candle filter 44 is an outlet 45 of the filter cartridge 40 through which the liquid components filtered by the adsorption material 43a-c and the candle filter 44 are discharged or reused. The filter cartridge 40 is preferably configured so that it can be removed from the replaced toilet. The filter cartridge 40 can be in (partly) reusable, (partly) biodegradable and / or (partly) disposable form.

[0046] Figure 3c shows a third filter cartridge 50. This filter cartridge 50 is in particular a filter cartridge 50 based on dead-end membrane filtration. In dead-end membrane filtration, the material to be filtered is forced through a substantially vertical membrane by pressure or vacuum applied thereon. Depending on the structure of the membrane, molecules / particles larger than the mesh width of the membrane are filtered out of the material to be filtered. The filter cartridge 50 comprises an inlet 51 through which the material to be filtered, such as liquid excreta (e.g. urine), is carried into the filter cartridge 50 (not shown). The inlet 51 leads to a membrane filter 52, such as a UF / NF ("Ultra-Filtration / Nano-Filtration") cylinder. The material to be filtered is forced through the membrane filter 52 by pressure or vacuum applied thereon. The membrane filter 52 is preferably filled with water in front of the filtered material. Therefore, the membrane filter 52 preferably comprises a gas discharge element 53 configured to discharge gas (such as air) that can be present in the filter cartridge 50. When the material to be filtered passes the membrane filter 52, mainly water remains, which can be discharged through an outlet 54 of the filter cartridge 50 or reused. The filter cartridge 50 is preferably configured to be removable from the toilet for replacement. The filter cartridge 50 can be in (partly) reusable, (partly) biodegradable and / or (partly) disposable form.

[0047] Figure 4 A preferred embodiment of a pressing technology based filtration device 100 for a vacuum technology based toilet is shown. The toilet is coupled to the filtration device 100 through an inlet 101, which connects the toilet to a receiving chamber 102. A vacuum chamber 103 is connected to the receiving chamber 102 for creating a negative pressure in the receiving chamber 102. The vacuum chamber 103 can consist of multiple parts, such as multiple connected or separate vacuum chambers. The vacuum chamber 103 is preferably connected to a vacuum pump. When the toilet is flushed, the excreta is transported through the treated inlet 101 to the receiving chamber 102 by the negative pressure created in the receiving chamber 102.

[0048] Referring to Figure 4The releasable cartridge 104 is adjacent to the receiving chamber 102. The cartridge 104 comprises a plunger head 105 which is thus placed together with the cartridge 104 in the filtering device 100. When placed, the plunger head 105 is in close proximity to the receiving chamber 102. This means that the side of the plunger head 105 which is remote from the interior space of the cartridge 104 is here directly adjacent to the interior space of the receiving chamber 102. The cross-sectional form of the interior space of the receiving chamber 102 is preferably substantially the same as the cross-sectional form of the interior space of the cartridge 104. Both cross-sectional forms are preferably circular. The cross-sectional form of the plunger 105 corresponds to the cross-sectional form such that the plunger 105 can be moved between the receiving chamber 102 and the cartridge 104 while the peripheral edge of the plunger 105 is in contact with the inner wall of the receiving chamber 102 and the cartridge 104, respectively. The peripheral edge of the plunger 105 is preferably provided with a resilient material, such as rubber, so that the plunger 105 forms an air- and / or liquid-tight barrier between the space on one side and the other side of the plunger 105.

[0049] After the cartridge 104 has been placed in the filtering device 100, it can be put into use. To this end, the filtering device 100 comprises a transport bolt 106 and the cartridge 104, the transport bolt 106 being movable in the longitudinal direction of the receiving space 102. The transport bolt 106 comprises a gripper 107 at its outer end which is configured to engage on the plunger 105 of the cartridge 104. After engagement by the gripper 107, the plunger 105 can be released from the cartridge 104 by, for example, a screwing or breaking movement of the plunger 105 relative to the cartridge 104. The plunger 105 preferably comprises a recess 1050 for accommodating the gripper 107. The gripper 107 preferably comprises a gripping element which can be extended outwardly from the gripper 107 and which can come into contact with the recess 1050 of the plunger 105.

[0050] After the cartridge 104 has been placed, the transport bolt 106 is moved in the direction of the cartridge 104 so that the gripper 107 can remove the plunger 105 from the cartridge 104. Then, the transport bolt 106 is moved in the opposite direction, away from the cartridge 104. When the plunger 105 has been removed from the cartridge 104, the interior spaces of the receiving chamber 102 and the cartridge 104 form a connection space. In the receiving state of the filtering device 100, the device 100 is ready to receive and process excreta, the plunger 105 being positioned by the transport bolt 106 at the top of the receiving chamber 102 so that the inlet 101 and the vacuum chamber 103 are in contact with the connection space. Figure 5 ). This position can be detected by a sensor or a switch, after which the toilet can be released for use.

[0051] When the filtering device 100 is in the receiving state, the toilet can be flushed, wherein the vacuum chamber 103 is provided with the receiving chamber 102 and the cartridge 104 for suction of the excreta to the receiving chamber 102 and the cartridge 104. After flushing, the transport screw 106 moves the plunger 105 towards the cartridge 104 and the filter (not shown here) located therein. The plunger 105 exerts pressure on the excreta in the direction of the filter. As mentioned above, the filter can comprise two parts, for example a first filter (optionally formed by a first cartridge) for filtering the solid components of the excreta, and a second filter (optionally formed by a second cartridge) for filtering the liquid components of the excreta.

[0052] When the use of the toilet is completed, or when the cartridge 104 reaches its maximum capacity of excreta and / or filtration, the cartridge 104 is closed by the plunger 105 and the transport screw 106 is disengaged from the plunger 105. Then, the cartridge 104 can be removed from the filtering device 100 together with the plunger 105, which then acts as a lid for the cartridge 104.

[0053] In the preferred embodiment of the filtering device 100 in Figure 4 , the filtering device 100 is placed vertically. The orientation of the filtering device 100 is of course variable due to the use of vacuum technology. It is also possible to provide an embodiment of the filtering device 100 in which the filtering device 100 used is not made of vacuum technology. For example, the excreta can be transported here to the receiving chamber 102 by gravity or other techniques known to the person skilled in the art.

[0054] In the embodiment shown, the outlet 108 is provided at the bottom side of the cartridge 104, i.e. the side of the cartridge 104 facing away from the receiving chamber 102. The liquid components of the excreta, after filtration through the cartridge 104, can exit the filtering device 100 via the outlet 108. The outlet 108 can be coupled, for example, to a sewer or a second cartridge for further filtration of the liquid components. Otherwise, the outlet 108 can also be placed elsewhere on the cartridge 104.

[0055] As Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, the filtering device 100 can be used for different forms of excreta. This can be feces, urine, and the like, as well as vomit.

[0056] It should be noted that the above figures only show exemplary embodiments and cannot be interpreted as a limitation of the scope of protection of the attached claims. Thus, the different components shown here can be used individually and also in components other than those shown here. The claims must be interpreted independently, where this description is merely illustrative.

Claims

1. A method for removing a chemical from human excreta, comprising the steps of: providing a toilet for a person who has to remove a chemical from his excreta; releasably connecting a filtering device to the toilet through an inlet, the inlet connecting the toilet to a receiving chamber of the filtering device, wherein the filtering device comprises at least one cartridge, the at least one cartridge being removable and having a filter and a plunger, wherein the cartridge is placeable adjacent to the receiving chamber, wherein the filtering device further comprises a transport screw, the transport screw being releasably connectable to the plunger through a holder at an outer end of the transport screw, and wherein the transport screw is movable in a longitudinal direction through the receiving chamber and the cartridge when the cartridge is placed adjacent to the receiving chamber; transporting the excreta from the receiving chamber to the filter in the cartridge through the plunger applying pressure on the excreta in a direction from the receiving chamber towards the cartridge when the cartridge is placed adjacent to the receiving chamber, wherein the plunger is connected to the outer end of the transport screw, wherein the transport screw drives the plunger by moving in the longitudinal direction of the receiving chamber and the cartridge, wherein the plunger forms a barrier between the transport screw and the excreta; filtering the chemical out of the excreta in situ using the filter in the cartridge; periodically replacing the at least one cartridge, wherein replacing the at least one cartridge comprises covering the cartridge with the plunger, releasing the plunger from the transport screw, and removing the cartridge comprising the plunger and the filtered chemical; and disposing of the replaced cartridge.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, filtering the chemical out of the excreta through chemical filtration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, filtering the chemical out of the excreta through physical filtration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the filtering device comprises a first removable cartridge and a second removable cartridge, wherein a solid part of the excreta is removed through the first removable cartridge, and wherein a liquid part of the excreta having the chemical is filtered by the second removable cartridge.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, the first removable cartridge and the second removable cartridge are removed together after use, or wherein the first removable cartridge and the second removable cartridge are removed separately after use.

6. A filter device for use in the method of claim 1, comprising: a receiving chamber having an inlet for connecting the filtering device to a toilet, at least one removable cartridge having a filter and a plunger, wherein the cartridge is placeable adjacent to the receiving chamber, and a transport screw being releasably connectable to the plunger through a holder at an outer end of the transport screw, wherein the transport screw is movable in a longitudinal direction of the receiving chamber and the cartridge when the cartridge is placed adjacent to the receiving chamber, wherein, when said cartridge is placed adjacent to said receiving chamber, said filtering device is adapted to transport said excreta from said receiving chamber to said filter in said cartridge by applying pressure to said excreta in a direction from said receiving chamber towards said cartridge with said transport screw, wherein said plunger forms a barrier between said transport screw and said excreta, and wherein said filtering device is adapted to allow for regular replacement of said at least one cartridge by covering said cartridge with said plunger, releasing said plunger from said transport screw and removing said cartridge comprising filtered chemical substances.

7. The filter device of claim 6, wherein, Said holder is an electrical, magnetic, pneumatic or mechanical holder.

8. The filter device of claim 6, wherein, Said filtering device comprises a first removable cartridge and a second removable cartridge, wherein said first removable cartridge is configured to filter a solid part of said excreta and said second removable cartridge is configured to filter a liquid part of said excreta with said chemical substances.

9. A toilet comprising a filtering device according to claim 6.

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