Nothing like wastewater

A new method increases the estimated potential energy in wastewater by almost 20 percent, and could spur efforts to extract methane, hydrogen and other fuels from this vast and, as yet, untapped resource. the team estimates that one gallon of wastewater contains enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for five minutes. Only one other study had been done on wastewater's energy potential, and the results were too low because some energy-rich compounds were lost to evaporation.

In the new study, the scientists freeze-dried wastewater to conserve more of its energy-rich compounds. Using a standard device to measure energy content, they found that the wastewater they collected from a water treatment plant in Northeast England contained nearly 20 per cent more than reported previously.

Researchers in India meanwhile have shown with a study of various waste water filtration systems for kitchen waste water and found that even the most poorly performing can produce water clean enough for horticultural or agricultural use. This domestic waste water might contain an organic load from food processing, utensil washing in the kitchen, soap and detergents, with the main contaminants being proteins, carbohydrates, detergents, oil and grease and other dissolved and suspended compounds. They explored the potential of ceramic microfiltration membrane s used alone or in conjunction with different physicochemical treatments, such as biotreatment and adsorption, for cleaning up dirty dishwater.

Let us use all our innovation to stop wasting precious resources like water.