Yes, it is true that in the recent past,
there has been a fascinating concept of waterless urinals. The very
notion that a bodily fluid containing ammonia and nitrogen, can also be
easily disposed of by such a device, which uses no flushing or running
water is completely amazing. However, this aspect can be understood by
simply understanding a little bit of science.
The Mechanism of Waterless Urinals
After some research, it has been seen that the concept behind waterless Urinals
use nothing but the same basic science used in normal urinals. The
urine simply flows down the bowl of the so called urinal past a simple
debris-catching strainer, which is present at the end. The urine is then
said to pass through a so called sealing liquid. Usually this is some
kind of oil based fluid or at times, even the simple vegetable oil. At
the end it is collected in the waste pipe located below.
The various densities of urine and the
oil (in every case urine is always said to be denser than oil – oil
indeed floats!) actually means that the urine simply sinks through the
sealing liquid and whereas oil floats on the top layer. Hence, the oil
remains at the top and the urine below. Any kind of air bubbles rise to
the top and then escape leaving the urine in a relatively low oxygen
environment.
There is no odour trapped below the oil layer and hence cannot find the correct nose of bathroom occupants.
If we have a deeper look then the densities of the liquids involved are as follows:
- 823 kg/m3 – Ammonia
- 920 kg/m3 – Oil
- 1021 kg/m3 – Water
It is therefore highly important that the
urine is actually completely slowed before it is said to hit the oil.
This is so because the laminar flow displacement indeed does not move
the oil at all to the bottom of the placed waste pipe. If the urine is
at the same time slowed sufficiently this is definitely not a problem.
After the urine is in the waste pipe, it is a rather convenient system
as the matter of displacement is supposed to send the urine into the so
called regular plumbing system.
There are basically two varieties of waterless urinals present:
- One is the cartridge based
- Other is the non-cartridge based units
The Cartridge based units
The Cartridge based units are definitely
the one that are supposed to utilize a replaceable cartridge and even
pre-filled aspect with sealing liquid. These are the units that are
periodically replaced as the sealing liquid is very slowly eroded or to
put in simple words even degraded.
The Non Cartridge based units
The Non Cartridge based units or systems
work by a very simple process of introducing the sealing liquid into the
so called drain hole and even allowing it to naturally and simply
settling down into the correct position.
