2-in-1 device uses sewage as fuel to make electricity and clean the sewage
March 29, 2012 at 6:05 am
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-in-d...icity.html
Quote:"Our prototype incorporates innovations so that it can process five times more sewage six times more efficiently at half the cost of its predecessors," said Orianna Bretschger, Ph.D., who presented a report on the improved technology at the ACS meeting.
"We've improved its energy recovery capacity from about 2 percent to as much as 13 percent, which is a great step in the right direction. That actually puts us in a realm where we could produce a meaningful amount of electricity if this technology is implemented commercially. Eventually, we could have wastewater treatment for free. That could mean availability for cleaner water in the developing world, or in southern California and other water-short areas of the United States through the use of more wastewater recycling technologies," she said.
Current wastewater treatment technology involves a number of steps designed to separate the solid and liquid components of sewage and clean the wastewater before it is released into a waterway. This often involves settling tanks, macerators that break down larger objects, membranes to filter particles, biological digestion steps and chemicals that kill harmful microbes. One estimate puts their energy use at 2 percent of overall consumption in the U.S.
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
