Our waste helping create a power generator?
A mini sewage system created by USF Engineering Professor Dr. Daniel Yeh and his team. This power generator called "NEW" which stands for Nutrients, Energy, and Water. This system works "well" according to Professor Yeh. He says "It allows us to get rid of our waste and actually recover clean water from that." It also "harnesses energy." Interesting...
Yeh adds "Think of this as a renewable natural gas that's sitting in our waste and we're, for the most part, not mining that. So, we create that for heating water, cooking, generating electricity, a number of uses.
Manuel Delago who's apart of Yeh's research team says "Solar panels provide enough to keep everything running. Even in a power outage it can supply enough power to keep the system running until maintenance can come and restore power."
This system isn't just for flowers to grow from either. People could potentially grow their own food lettuce, crops, and any vegetative crops. Yeh has received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation. He hopes this will help the worldwide problem with water and sanitation.
Professor Yeh had success in India with this test. The unit was connected to electronic toilets, handling up to 100 users a day. They're hoping to "provide services to schools in South Africa, and maybe put the system in some of the refugee camps around the world that's struggling with some of these same issues."
Our waste saving the world, one poo at a time! That you scientists!