Poop Fuel

Thanks to this website, you now know about poop burgers, and you also know about the sometimes heroic efforts to get communities safe drinking water. Now scientists have solved two problems with one machine–it not only cleans sewage out of water, it uses the sewage to make fuel! A city could run its buses on what it gets from its sewage treatment plant. It’s an amazing transformation.

Scientists have created a new and more efficient version of this innovative device, which is the size of a home washing machine. Researcher Orianna Bretschger says, "Our prototype incorporates innovations so that it can process five times more sewage six times more efficiently at half the cost of its predecessors.

"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.

"We remove about 97% of the organic matter. That sounds clean, but it is not quite clean enough to drink. In order to get to potable, you need 99.99% removal and more complete disinfection of the water." Still, she thinks this machine might one day replace some of the existing steps in municipal wastewater treatment.

The future is going to bring us amazing things, and there’s something wonderful coming up for you in the near future: our annual Dreamland Festival, which will be held this year in May. Come hear things you’ve never heard before, but hurry: Our tickets are selling out fast!