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US 11,235,997 B2Granted
Anaerobic waste treatment system for vehicles
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsSaurabh Aggarwal, Rajeev Shastri, Subramaniam Natarajan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, an apparatus, and a system for treating a waste in a vehicle. The waste is received from a lavatory in a waste tank through a waste input port connected to the lavatory in the vehicle. Anaerobic bacteria are introduced into the waste such that anaerobic digestion occurs to breakdown a biodegradable material in the waste in the waste tank.
Claims42
A waste treatment system in an aircraft, such that the waste treatment system comprises:
- a waste tank, in the aircraft, that comprises a waste portion and a separated portion;
- an anaerobic bacteria treatment system that contains anaerobic bacteria selected to digest a waste in the waste tank and configured to introduce the anaerobic bacteria to the waste such that anaerobic digestion occurs to breakdown biodegradable material in the waste in the waste tank;
- a semipermeable membrane that extends across the waste tank, defines a separation of the waste portion from the separated portion, and is configured for water diffusion through the semipermeable membrane into the separated portion to form separated water, such that the waste portion of the waste tank connects to:
- a vacuum pump;
- and
- a lavatory in the aircraft by a conduit system connected to a reservoir configured to store the anaerobic bacteria in a configuration such that, responsive to a vacuum caused by the vacuum pump, a movement of waste from the lavatory to the waste tank through the conduit system also causes a movement of anaerobic bacteria, stored in the reservoir, from the reservoir into the conduit system;
- sheets within the waste portion of the waste tank configured to support the anaerobic bacteria and separated from each other by a distance that varies based upon a distribution of waste in the waste tank;
- and
- an output port in the separated portion of the waste tank configured to remove the separated water from the separated portion through the output port to a water treatment system connected to a recycled water tank connected to the lavatory and to an output configured to jettison recycled water out of the aircraft.
6 more elements
An aircraft waste treatment system that comprises:
- a lavatory and a waste tank that comprises a separated portion, connected to a recycled water tank, and a waste portion connected to a vacuum pump and configured to receive waste from the lavatory, such that the waste tank comprises a semipermeable membrane that extends across the waste tank and defines a separation of the waste portion from the separated portion;
- a reservoir connected to a conduit system from the lavatory to the waste tank and configured to store an anaerobic bacteria configured to digest the waste in the waste tank, such that:
- an anaerobic digestion occurs to breakdown a biodegradable material in the waste in the waste tank and generate water that becomes separated water in the separated portion of the waste tank;
- and
- the vacuum pump is configured to cause a vacuum in the waste tank that causes a movement of the waste from the lavatory to the waste tank through the conduit system and a movement of the anaerobic bacteria, stored in the reservoir, from the reservoir into the conduit system;
- sheets within the waste tank configured to support the anaerobic bacteria and separated from each other by a distance that varies based upon a desired waste distribution in the waste portion of in the waste tank;
- and
- an output port in the separated portion connected to a water treatment system connected to a recycled water tank connected to the lavatory and to an output configured to jettison recycled water out of the aircraft.
5 more elements
A method for treating a waste in an aircraft, the method comprising:
- connecting a waste tank to a lavatory and a vacuum pump in the aircraft;
- separating, using a semipermeable membrane extending across the waste tank, a waste portion of the waste tank from a separated portion of the waste tank connected to a recycled water tank;
- receiving the waste into the waste portion through a waste input port connected to the lavatory in the aircraft;
- introducing anaerobic bacteria stored in a reservoir connected to the waste tank into the waste via moving the waste from the lavatory to the waste tank by vacuum through a lavatory conduit and thereby drawing anaerobic bacteria, stored in the reservoir, from the reservoir into the waste moving through the lavatory conduit;
- supporting the anaerobic bacteria on sheets within the waste tank separated from each other by a distance that varies based upon a desired waste distribution in the waste portion of in the waste tank and causing anaerobic digestion to breakdown a biodegradable material in the waste in the waste tank;
- forming separated water in the separated portion of the waste tank via diffusing water from the waste portion through the semipermeable membrane into the separated portion;
- and
- moving the separated water through a water treatment system and into the recycled water tank connected to the lavatory and to an output configured to jettison recycled water out of the aircraft.
5 more elements
A method for servicing an anaerobic bacteria treatment system in an aircraft, the method comprising:
- connecting a waste portion of a waste tank to a lavatory and a vacuum pump;
- connecting a separated portion of the waste tank to a recycled water tank;
- separating, using a semipermeable membrane extending across the waste tank, the waste portion from the separated portion of the waste tank;
- renewing anaerobic bacteria in the anaerobic bacteria treatment system configured for:
- containing the anaerobic bacteria, selected for digesting a waste in the waste tank, in a reservoir connected to the waste portion of the waste tank;
- introducing the anaerobic bacteria to the waste via moving the waste from the lavatory to the waste tank by vacuum through a lavatory conduit and thereby drawing anaerobic bacteria, stored in the reservoir, from the reservoir into the waste moving through the lavatory conduit, such that anaerobic digestion breaks down biodegradable material in the waste in the waste tank;
- forming separated water in the separated portion of the waste tank;
- supporting the anaerobic bacteria on sheets within the waste tank, separated from each other by a distance that varies based upon a desired waste distribution in the waste portion of the waste tank;
- moving the separated water through a water treatment system and into the recycled water tank connected to the lavatory and to an outlet configured to jettison recycled water from the aircraft.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.