New cleaning system works on own waste
Last reviewed: 16.05.2018
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Toilet is necessary for every person, only in the United States more than 45 trillion liters of waste fall into the sewage. This rather dirty process leads to the release of a huge amount of greenhouse gases. Even more energy is expended by factories and power stations, which purify sewage from sewage.
A team of specialists designed a new method that will help to process waste water with their own waste, while absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. In addition, the new method allows the production of renewable automotive fuel on hydrogen elements.
Specialists called their development a microbial electrolytic method of CO2 capture. Wastewater treatment is based on an electrochemical reaction and is environmentally friendly. The method allows to absorb carbon dioxide by an order of magnitude more than it is required for work, while producing a renewable energy source.
According to one of the developers of the new method by Jason Wren of the University of Colorado, the new method has three advantages, in comparison with other existing for today. The purification system works with the help of special bacteria that emit carbon from the water. As a result, the chemical energy is converted into electrical energy, which promotes the splitting of water.
During operation, hydrogen gas is created, which can also be used as a fuel or an environmentally friendly source of energy. When the water is split, a calcium compound is formed and calcium hydroxide is formed, which helps to capture carbon dioxide from the air and convert it to limestone, which in turn is useful in construction.
Such a system, according to the developers, will be able to work on coal-fired power plants that work with a huge amount of sewage and carbon emissions. Also, under the president's new instructions, power plants need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the new system will come at an opportune time.
Jason Wren noted that entrepreneurs spend huge sums on wastewater treatment, in addition, the costs of cleaning their own solid waste are required.
For example, one company was fined for more than $ 100 million for the leakage of coal ash into one of the local rivers.
Also, the high costs of collecting carbon dioxide emissions are needed, so a new purification system will help entrepreneurs reduce the amount of harmful emissions and save their money.
Researchers are still testing a new system in operation to confirm its effectiveness, but already developers have received proposals from large utility companies who are interested in a new sewage treatment system.
Of course, there are some technological problems, but experts are sure that they will cope with them.
The cost of the new system is still unknown, and experts can not say how effective it will be in use.
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