This glass of refreshing water could very well have been sourced from wastewater. [A3pfamily / Shutterstock.com]
Your face may cringe when you think about drinking sewage water, but innovations are underway to make wastewater safe for consumption. Clean and potable water is a precious commodity, which is why scientists and environmentalists are looking towards transforming dirty water into tasty and clean H20. The wastewater to clean water push shines a light on sustainability, showing how a mix of science plus the drive to maximize existing resources, results in a cleaner and healthier planet for all.
1. RAISING A TOAST TO BEER MADE FROM TREATED WASTEWATER
If you are of drinking age and looking for a nice cool lager, the next beer you drink could contain treated wastewater. In Oregon, the local government’s environmental panel has OK’d a plan for local breweries to use recycled sewage water. The first brewery up to bat is the Oregon Brew Crew that will receive the repurposed water from the utility company Clean Water Services. Further east in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a wastewater engineer - Theera Ratarasarn – merged his day job with his hobby of home beer brewing with his creation aptly named Activated Sludge Wheat Ale. The beer was reviewed by professional testers and received 7 out of 10 stars!
2. BILL GATES ENDORSES WATER MADE FROM SEWAGE
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is on the bandwagon for clean water. The philanthropist is singing the praises of the Janicki Omniprocessor, a machine which burns human waste to produce water and electricity. Gate explained in his blog posts that developing safe, affordable ways to get rid of human waste will prevent hundreds of thousands of sanitation-related deaths, and help more children around the world grow up healthy and strong.
3. THE TEABAG THAT PURIFIES DIRTY WATER
Using nanotechnology, researchers from South Africa have created a tea bag filter that fits into a water bottle and rids water of contaminants and bacteria. One bag can be used to filter up to 1 liter of water and is super cheap, costing less than half a penny to produce!
4. ALGAE AS A NATURAL AND ORGANIC WAY TO PRODUCE CLEAN H20
Green technology is in Mother Nature’s hands as an engineering grad student and professor found out when they grew algae in wastewater. They were originally looking at algae’s potential for creating biofuel and happened upon this clean water solution. Here’s how it works: When placed in dirty water, the algae removes ammonia, phosphate and nitrate, significantly reducing the pathogen load. Afterwards a centrifuge removes the algae; and an ultraviolet radiation system rids any leftover pathogens. All that remains for clean, potable water is to adjust the pH level. The green tech is already being commissioned by nonprofits and organizations as a cheap and organic way to produce clean H20.
Algae is a natural water purifier. [Trybex / Shutterstock.com]
