Turning shit into high quality H20 and cash

[AMT]

Pretty neat. While it's aimed at developing countries, I think something like this would also be exceedingly useful anywhere, once people could get past their squeamishness.

To expand out, this is a "janicki omni-processor" which is able to dry out sewage waste, clear out the water vapor and purify it to potable water, while also providing it's own electricity to run itself and also provide power to the grid, along with having presumably nutrient rich ash which can be further sold, though the details on that were pretty scant.

[Borgholio]

As a matter of squeamishness, I freely admit I'll be hesitant to drink that water until I've seen firsthand the systems used to purify and sanitize the water. But as an idea, it's very neat and helps solve several problems at once. Electricity, water, fertilizer, and disposing of excess waste.

[Elheru Aran]

Run enough plumbing and you don't have to think about where it's coming from, just that you're getting it. You don't put much thought into where you get your water from when all you have to do is turn a tap and it comes out. If you're much more intimate with it on a regular basis though (pumping by hand, drawing a well bucket, etc), that may cause issues. Which could hinder this being used in some parts of the world-- "drink shit-water? Hell no, that's against my religion".

[Sea Skimmer]

Multiple places already use reverse osmosis for turning sewer water into drinking water, which is much cheaper then removing all the dissolved salt out of seawater. Trick is though they conventionally filter out the sludge first, and this concept is providing something to do with that semi solid waste too.

[Zeropoint]

Meh. Every water molecule you drink has been urine many times over. High-temperature distillation is good enough for me.

[Irbis]

As a matter of squeamishness, I freely admit I'll be hesitant to drink that water until I've seen firsthand the systems used to purify and sanitize the water.

If your water is taken from a river/lake, chances are very big there is sewage plant upstream of your water system intake that does just that, albeit in slower and a bit different process...

[Borgholio]

Sure, I know intellectually that it's all the same in the long run. But "out of sight, out of mind" is the issue for me. Getting water out of my tap is different from opening a spigot 5 feet away from a conveyer belt of shit.

[dragon]

Good for space travel

[Borgholio]

Good for space travel

Except for the whole burning the waste into ash part. That wouldn't be smart on an enclosed spaceship.

[dragon]

Good for space travel

Except for the whole burning the waste into ash part. That wouldn't be smart on an enclosed spaceship.

Easy have a separate and jettisonable compartment. Considering once we get into mining we'll have smelters on the stations

[Borgholio]

Easy have a separate and jettisonable compartment.

I was referring to the oxygen. Where are you going to get enough oxygen to feed the fires? You'd need a massive compartment the size of a building to have enough to burn a fire, and something the size of what we saw in the video would eat that up in no time.

[Elheru Aran]

Easy have a separate and jettisonable compartment.

I was referring to the oxygen. Where are you going to get enough oxygen to feed the fires? You'd need a massive compartment the size of a building to have enough to burn a fire, and something the size of what we saw in the video would eat that up in no time.

This would be ideal in a large facility with hydroponics to produce extra oxygen by processing carbon dioxide. You would need serious hydroponics though. You don't necessarily need a large compartment, use a direct feed of oxygen; the flame would be small but very hot.

[Borgholio]

You would need serious hydroponics though.

Yeah really, since even a small flame can put out a lot of CO2.

[Elheru Aran]

At least CO2 could probably be vented. Use it to help keep an inflatable dome up or something, I don't know. On a planet with atmosphere, if it's kinda cold, you could use it to induce an artificial greenhouse effect (looking at Mars).

[Zixinus]

An amazing invention. I hope it will reach many people that need it.

Drinking water that was poop/sewage a few minutes ago may sound awful, but in some places it is still miles better than drinking water that is still reasonably likely to have poop in it.

[Irbis]

To expand out, this is a "janicki omni-processor" which is able to dry out sewage waste, clear out the water vapor and purify it to potable water, while also providing it's own electricity to run itself and also provide power to the grid, along with having presumably nutrient rich ash which can be further sold, though the details on that were pretty scant.

Well, yes, but now that I think about it, while water and electricity are useful, what they plan to do with ash? It can't be that rich in nutrients since most of the coal should be gone, meaning no organic compounds. And I wonder how they deal with the issue of pollution.

Hmm, now I am also curious if the machine is supposed to run continuously or in pulses (to take ash out and clean belt). How much energy and of what kind you need to restart it? Also, I wonder how long it would need to pay for itself and for how many people it is designed.

As for drinking the water, please. Poorer regions need water for farming, both crops and animals. I guess that usage would be more acceptable to squeamish people. This would also mean that people could keep drinking bad water out of prejudice. Hmm.

[Zeropoint]

Well, yes, but now that I think about it, while water and electricity are useful, what they plan to do with ash?

The ash should be rich in the elements from organic material that aren't carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen. It can be mixed into the soil in crop fields to complete the cycle.

[biostem]

Take the poo, run it through a press to extract the water, distill that through something as simple as a solar still, and you're good to go. Alternatively, you can use a solar-powered UV lamp to sanitize the water, after it's been run through some conventional filters to get rid of particulates.

AFAIK, the biggest issue in developing countries is getting a reliable power source to run the filtration machinery, so simple, efficient, solar or wind powered devices are the way to go.

[Zeropoint]

Well, it sounded like this thing can burn the poo to power itself, while producing surplus power. If so, that pretty much solves your power source problem.

[Borgholio]

Well, it sounded like this thing can burn the poo to power itself, while producing surplus power. If so, that pretty much solves your power source problem.

Indeed, because we all know how full of shit the human race is.

[madd0ct0r]

ugh. been a while since ive done thí, but i think a press can only get you to 20-30% water content by weight.
Shit burning needs a lower water content unless you cheat and mix diesesel in, ỏ use powered dryers like they have.

If i was told true, there's treatement centers in the uk that is just stockpiling the shitcake, waiting for permission to be able to spread it on the countryside. Isue with that, and potentially the ash from thís process, ís the relatively higher amount ò heavy metals. Not critical to start with, but you can't keep adding it to the same lànd year after year.