High-Pressure Waste Disintegration for On-Site Animal Cleanup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for disposing of solid animal waste are cumbersome, unsanitary, inefficient, and environmentally harmful, particularly as they often require transporting and disposing of waste in municipal trash systems, which are not optimized for this purpose.
Innovation Solution
A portable, hand-held or roamer-based system that uses a high-pressure liquid stream, generated by a pump mechanism, to disintegrate solid animal waste, eliminating the need for physical handling and disposal in plastic bags, and instead returns waste to the ground, where it can fertilize the soil.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional disposal methods (bags, scoops, trash bins) are used, then waste can be collected and disposed of, but the process is cumbersome, unsanitary, and environmentally harmful
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical collection methods (scoops, bags) with a high-pressure liquid jet system that automatically disintegrates waste. The liquid jet mechanism substitutes for human hands and traditional collection tools, eliminating direct contact with waste and the need for manual bagging and disposal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of waste from solid to liquid/slurry form through high-pressure liquid injection. This parameter change (solid → liquid) enables the waste to be broken down and absorbed into the ground, transforming it from a disposal problem to a soil enrichment opportunity.
2Productivity
If waste is transported to municipal trash systems, then disposal is achieved, but the process is inefficient and not optimized for animal waste
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables on-site waste treatment at the location where waste is deposited by the animal. The waste is immediately disintegrated and absorbed into the ground without requiring collection, transport, or manual handling. This self-service approach eliminates the entire waste management chain from collection to disposal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the waste treatment function from the municipal trash system and implements it locally at the waste source. By taking out the disposal function and placing it at the point of waste generation, the system eliminates transportation needs and optimizes the process specifically for animal waste characteristics.
3Reliability
If plastic bags are used for waste collection, then waste can be contained and disposed of, but plastic pollution increases and the process becomes more cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates disposable plastic bags entirely by using an reusable high-pressure liquid jet system. Instead of single-use plastic containers, the system employs a durable pump and nozzle assembly that can be refilled and reused indefinitely, eliminating plastic waste generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces liquid (water or other suitable fluid) as an intermediary medium to handle waste instead of using plastic bags. The liquid serves as the carrier that breaks down and transports waste material, replacing the plastic bag's containment function with a fluid-based dissolution and absorption 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 provides a convenient, efficient, and environmentally friendly method for disposing of animal waste, reducing the need for plastic bags and improving sanitation by directly disintegrating waste on-site, thus avoiding the drawbacks of traditional disposal methods.
Implementation Method 1
uses a high-pressure liquid stream, generated by a pump mechanism, to disintegrate solid animal waste
Data Source
AI summary
A hand-held device, a roamer device, a walk-behind device, and a towed device that facilitates the disintegration of solid animal waste using high-pressure streams of fluid. The disintegration apparatus includes a liquid reservoir, high-pressure pump, one or more nozzles, and a nozzle cone. The nozzle cone is configured to expand to cover the animal waste, after which the high-pressure pump expels fluid from the reservoir through the nozzles to disintegrate the waste.