Biodegradable Urn Planting System with pH Neutralization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biodegradable urn systems face challenges in ensuring the successful germination and growth of trees from seeds, as they are sensitive to environmental conditions and require precise timing, leading to high probabilities of user error and unsuccessful plant growth.
Innovation Solution
A biodegradable urn system that includes a bamboo container filled with cremated remains, a pH neutralizing and sodium diluting material, soil, and a seedling or bare root stock, designed to be cost-efficient, user-friendly, and capable of sustaining the seedling to maturity, with an outer casing for aesthetic value and rapid degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If seeds are used in biodegradable urn systems, then the system is simple and cost-efficient, but the probability of successful germination and tree growth is low due to sensitivity to environmental conditions and timing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing the remains through calcination to create a neutralized, plant-friendly material before planting. The urn system pre-prepared the remains by removing organic materials and neutralizing pH, eliminating the need for users to perform these complex steps while ensuring reliable plant growth.
2Device complexity
If cremated remains are directly planted with seeds, then the system is simple, but the basic nature of remains creates harmful conditions for plant growth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful basic nature of cremated remains into a benefit by using calcination to neutralize the pH and remove organic materials. The previously harmful remains are transformed into a neutral, plant-friendly material that supports healthy tree growth without requiring complex chemical treatments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by altering the chemical properties of the remains through calcination, specifically changing the pH from basic to neutral and removing organic compounds. This transformation modifies the physical and chemical parameters of the remains to make them suitable for plant growth.
3Quantity of substance
If seeds are used in urn systems, then the system is cost-efficient, but user error and environmental factors lead to unsuccessful plant growth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing the remains through calcination and neutralization before the user plants them. This eliminates the need for users to perform complex chemical treatments or timing calculations, making the system both cost-efficient and easy to operate while ensuring successful plant growth.
Data Source
AI summary
The biodegradable urn planting system, also called a LIVING URN, is an apparatus capable of rapid degradation in soil that the user can fill with cremated remains, a pH neutralizing and sodium diluting material, soil, planting mix, wood chips, and a living plant (seedling or bare root stock). When one loses a loved one, it is often difficult to discern what to do with the remains (be they human or animal). Many towns and cities do not allow for burial, and storage of cremated remains can be problematic. The present invention seeks to provide a meaningful and tangible way for one to remember the loved one when the cremated remains are buried with a seedling that may be drop shipped and is appropriate for the environment of use. Thus, the seedling grows into a tree, providing comfort and a reminder of the deceased.