One of the challenges with developing the SeaPod is that it won’t be connected to a local grid so it can’t connect to a sewer system. Also, since the SeaPod will be floating in the ocean, we don’t have a yard in which we can bury a septic tank. This leaves us with a big question to answer… What do we do with all of the poop?
Many boats or ships simply dump the waste into the sea, but we have more respect for the environment than that. We have a better way to handle the waste and our solution is to have an incinerator integrated into the toilet system.
The toilet system will have a separator to separate liquid waste from solid waste. Liquid waste will go to the blackwater tank and solid waste will be burned. The incinerator will burn the toxic solid waste and leave you with a tablespoon worth of non-toxic ash.
The incinerator will be tied into the home automation system and will operate automatically. It is fueled by propane and operates similarly to how a gas stove would work in your house. The propane is supplied through two separate lines, one for the pilots and one for the burners.
Having separate lines allows us to have finer control of the propane usage. We can turn off the pilot once the burners are lit, and we can use a valve in the burner line to regulate the flame of the burners. By doing things like turning off the pilot and regulating the heat of the burners will help to operate things more efficiently and not waste propane.
The process that the incinerator takes to light itself is like a stove. The first thing that will happen is the valve that supplies the pilot will be opened and the ignitor will begin to spark, eventually lighting the pilot light. The pilot will only be burning when we need it, not all the time like a gas stove.
Once the pilot light is lit, the motorized valve will open and supply propane to the burners. The pilot will ignite the gas that is coming from the burners and the valve will regulate the propane flow to give the optimal temperature for operation. Once the burner is lit, the pilot will be turned off to save propane.
When the process is finished, then the motorized valve will shut off the propane that is supplying the burners and all of the flames will go out. We will be left with a tiny amount of ash and the question “What do we do with all of the poop?” will be answered.
