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Rating of daily amounts of CO2 and O2 exchange of crops, animals and humans to be involved in the long-term habitation experiments using the Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF) were carried out. Daily amounts of the CO2-absorption and O2-generation of crops including rice, soybeans and other 27 vegetables were estimated from data obtained from a sequential crop cultivation experiment conducted from August to December of FY2001. Daily amounts of O2-consumption and CO2-expiration of two female Shiba goats to be involved were estimated based on gas exchange determination conducted in FY2002. Daily amounts of CO2-expiration and O2-consumption of two persons to be involved were estimated based on correlation between respiration rate and heart rate, heart rate data during the simulated habitation in the CEEF and a tentative work schedule.

Recycling human and animal excreta is an important part of the proposed Closed Ecology Experiment Facility (CEEF) in Japan. This paper introduces a conceptual design for the waste collection and transfer system. Mineral-rich wastes such as urine and wool grease must be separated from other wastes to recover the minerals. Solids and liquids also require separate handling methods. Our design uses inclined conveyer belts to separate feces and urine. A fluorocarbon polymer coating prevents wastes from sticking to the belt. In-line freezers are used to solidify liquid wastes and retard premature decomposition. A summary of available data on animal excreta is included, but there is a distinct shortage of useful information. This data is insignificant for usual biology or animal husbandry, but is essential for designing the self-contained environment.

The Closed Ecological Experimental Facilities (CEEF), designed to simulate material circulation, is an artificial closed agricultural ecosystem with plants, humans and animals. In the experiments starting from FY2005, habitants referred to as eco-nauts will be exposed to complex workloads and various CEEF environmental factors, which may influence their physio-psychological state, and lower their performance. Therefore, preliminary experiments were conducted on the workload-matched (11.1h work, 168h, airlock open) and the environment-matched condition (6.9h work, 24h, air circulation) to monitor physio-psychological changes. As a result, both experiment types were conducted as scheduled without any major problems, and no serious physio-psychological disorders were observed in the eco-nauts. One week closed habitation experiments will be performed as a preliminary step toward much longer (max. 4 months) experiments.