Heated Septic Tank With Water-Saving Toilet for Methane Fermentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional septic tanks face challenges in generating methane gas due to the dilution of excreta with water, leading to reduced fermentation and methane production, and also contribute to environmental pollution through excessive wastewater discharge.
Innovation Solution
A septic tank system incorporating a water-saving toilet that discharges high-density excreta using minimal water, an underground excreta storage tank with a heating unit to enhance fermentation, and a methane gas supply unit for collection and storage, along with a gas storage tank that eliminates moisture from the methane gas for use as an energy source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional toilets discharge excreta using large amounts of water, then excreta is easily flushed away, but the excreta becomes diluted and fermentation is inhibited, reducing methane gas generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the water consumption parameter of the toilet from conventional high usage (10-15 liters per discharge) to reduced usage (1-5 liters per discharge). This parameter change maintains effective excreta discharge while preserving high excreta concentration in the storage tank, enabling efficient fermentation and methane gas generation without the dilution problem of conventional systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the excreta discharge function using minimal water, replicating the essential purpose of conventional toilets (excreta removal) while avoiding their harmful effect (excreta dilution). The water-saving toilet copies the discharge mechanism but uses a fraction of the water, thereby solving both the discharge efficiency and concentration preservation requirements
2Ease of operation
If conventional toilets use large amounts of water for discharge, then excreta is effectively removed, but excessive wastewater is generated causing environmental pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the water consumption parameter from conventional levels (10-15 liters per discharge) to reduced levels (1-5 liters per discharge). This parameter modification maintains adequate excreta discharge functionality while reducing wastewater generation by approximately 70-80%, thereby eliminating the environmental pollution problem associated with conventional toilet systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of water usage into a benefit by using minimal water to achieve discharge while preserving excreta concentration for methane generation. The small amount of water used becomes beneficial by enabling both effective discharge and subsequent fermentation, transforming what would be waste water into a medium that supports the methane production process
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively generates a large amount of methane gas while reducing wastewater discharge, thereby preventing environmental pollution and providing a sustainable energy source.
Implementation Method 1
a heating unit for heating the excreta storage tank so as to increase a fermentation speed of the excreta in the excreta storage tank
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a septic tank for generating methane gas, including: a water-saving type toilet installed in a restroom of a building and discharging excreta of users, wherein high-density excreta is discharged from the water-saving type toilet by using a reduced amount of water to discharge the excreta; an excreta storage tank buried underground and connected to the water-saving type toilet to store the excreta discharged from the water-saving type toilet; a heating unit for heating the excreta storage tank so as to increase a fermentation speed of the excreta in the excreta storage tank; a methane gas supply unit for collecting and discharging methane gas generated as the excreta in the excreta storage tank is fermented; and a gas storage tank connected to the methane gas supply unit to store the methane gas discharged from the methane gas supply unit.