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Ekokook : an environmentally-friendly kitchen
This kitchen is based around 2 sections
a block-shaped lower section
and a more chaotic upper section.
First of all, let's look at the upper section.
The upper section combines several functions:
Air extraction
Platforms for storing washing-up liquid and
condiments
Ultraponic plant pots for growing savoury herbs
Storage cones for distribution
of dry products bought in bulk
The lower section is made up of 2 faces.
The first face contains the units necessary
for storing,
preparing and cooking food.
From left to right,
you can see a steam tube oven and 3 cooking hobs
then an area devoted to washing and preparing
food,
with solutions for storing utensils,
recipients and other cooking tools below,
as well as 2 drawers for storing condiments and preserves.
This face is completed by a horizontal refrigerator
divided into several sections.
The second face focuses on the management
of waste
and cleaning of crockery and kitchen utensils.
There are 4 modules:
A micro-plant for solid waste
A micro-plant for liquid waste
A micro-plant for organic waste
A dish-washer with 2 compartments rounds off this face.
Now let's look at the ground-breaking
elements
of this kitchen:
The 3 micro-plants for waste management.
The first is devoted to managing solid waste.
This micro-plant is split into 5 specific receptacles.
The first is for recycling glass.
Glass bottles are disposed of via a sliding
hatch.
Thanks to a pinball style lever
that triggers a hammer system,
the bottle is smashed into pieces,
which are then stored in a specially designed container...
...that can be emptied in total safety
into recycling bins
found at recycling points in towns and villages.
The second is for recycling paper.
Paper and cardboard packaging
are inserted through a slit in the top
and are cut into strips thanks to 2 shredder-rollers
activated by hand using a rotary handle.
The strips produced are then compressed into
bricks
in order to reduce their volume and optimise their storage.
The third module offers a solution
for compressing metal tins and cans.
Like the 2 previous modules,
the material to be recycled is again introduced
by a hatch on the top of the unit.
The metal recipient is compressed
by a perpetual screw activated
by hand using a rotary handle.
Once it has been compressed,
the metal is stored in the lowest part of
the receptacle.
The fourth module is reserved for plastic waste.
The plastic is inserted into the appropriate
opening,
compressed
and then stored in the compartment
designed for this purpose.
The final module houses the miscellaneous refuse,
in other words, the waste that will not be
processed
by the first 4 modules,
or by the micro-plant for organic waste.
It is a normal dustbin, fitted with a standard refuse bag.
Now let's look at the second micro-plant
This one focuses on the management of liquid
waste.
Water from rinsing vegetables
is recuperated via a hatch in the main sink,
then directed and filtered
towards a tank by simply opening a plug.
This water can then be pumped for use in the dish washer,
or the steam tube oven.
It can also be stored in jugs
and used to water the plants.
As regards waste water,
it is discharged into the sewer system.
The final micro-plant is used to treat organic
waste.
This stomach-like micro-plant is a worm-bin.
It digests the bio-available waste
by means of a living eco-system
made up of several organisms,
mainly populated by small red earth worms
called Eisenia Foetida.
This odourless micro-plant swallows up peelings
as well as remains of fruits and vegetables
tea-bags
coffee filters and spent coffee
dust from vacuum cleaners
cardboard with limited printing
such as egg boxes or finished toilet rolls,
newspapers cut into small pieces
and egg shells
It is simply recommended to avoid disposing of meat,
dairy products
citrus fruits
garlic or onions in the worm-bin.
The digestive cycle for this organic waste
takes place over a 6-month period.
Once it has been inserted via the hatch,
the organic waste is digested by the worms
which produce worm casting.
Each time the hatch is opened
this causes the drum to rotate several degrees,
enabling even filling of the different compartments.
As the days go by,
the content in each compartment is depleted in nutrients,
forcing the worms to migrate
to the containers containing the fresh waste.
Their population is self-regulated
in accordance with the amount of waste disposed of.
2 types of product can be retrieved
after digestion by the worms:
Earthworm compost,
which is a nutritional supplement for all gardens.
And a very rich fertilising liquid,
which should be diluted
at a rate of 1 to 10 before watering plants.
Using the worm-bin,
it is possible to reduce the volume
of refuse bin waste by 30%.
By basing itself onÉ
Human energy to compress solid waste
Smart use of liquid waste to save water
And animal digestion
to reduce the volume of refuse bin waste
É Ekokook offers a new,
compact and integrated solution
for managing waste in the kitchen.