Future of Engineering
Monday, February 18, 2008
Drinking Water from Sewage - Australian Tech in California
Australian-developed technology is at the heart of a bold water-supply project in California
Three tanks of water stand alongside and above a hive of quietly humming machinery. They could be labelled "before", "during" and "after", with a moderate dare factor attached to the "after".
One is an early stage of recycled water, as dark as Guinness but with an unmistakable whiff of its origins. The second is clear, but still with a certain aroma. The third is crystalline.
This is purified water, cleared of the "solids", strained and sifted, then cleansed by UV light. And it tastes like … water.
As well it should. It cost $US480 million ($530 million) to put it there, performing the latter-day technological miracle of transforming human waste back into water. It is a triumph of technology, ingenuity and salesmanship.
Full story here
Three tanks of water stand alongside and above a hive of quietly humming machinery. They could be labelled "before", "during" and "after", with a moderate dare factor attached to the "after".
One is an early stage of recycled water, as dark as Guinness but with an unmistakable whiff of its origins. The second is clear, but still with a certain aroma. The third is crystalline.
This is purified water, cleared of the "solids", strained and sifted, then cleansed by UV light. And it tastes like … water.
As well it should. It cost $US480 million ($530 million) to put it there, performing the latter-day technological miracle of transforming human waste back into water. It is a triumph of technology, ingenuity and salesmanship.
Full story here
Labels: Energy-Environment-Engineering, Society
PermaLink - Drinking Water from Sewage - Australian Tech in California posted by Ecacofonix : 5:24 AM
