Bacteria turn sewage into clean water and electricity in self-powered plant Human waste is a big problem globally. Huge networks of pipes are needed to pipe it around. Wastewater treatment plants suck in electricity and cash, creating more waste that then fills up landfills. In South Africa, the network of wastewater treatment plants is in such a dire state that waste flows into the environment. This makes people sick and kills natural ecosystems. According to the latest Green Drop report – which looks at these plants – most of the country’s plants are not working properly. Of the 821 run by municipalities, over 300 were found to be in a “critical state”. These plants also need around 2% of the national grid’s capacity, and a great amount of capital investment to build and maintain. The municipalities that run them often do not have the budget for operations and maintenance, according to the Green Drop report. But there is a solution to this in the pipeline. Cambrian Innovation, a company based in the United States, has started field tests on a microbial fuel cell. The technology, called BioVolt, turns 2 250 litres of sewage into enough clean water for 15 people. Its by-product is enough electricity to power the process, with some left over for personal use (think more lighting and cellphone charging, less factory machinery). Sounds quite interesting and a bit more detail is available at http://ift.tt/2buscJC.
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