A group of scientists working out of Ghent University in Belgium have designed a solar-powered device that can distill urine into water. The team then turned 1,000 litres of reconstitured water into beer, much to the happiness of attendees at a local music festival.
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The use of solar polar isn't even the most fascinating aspect of this modern pee pee converter - it's the use of a process of membrane distillation that removes around 95% of the ammonia found in our urine. The solar aspect is used to heat the urine in a tank before its passed through said membrane, with nutrients such as potassium and nitrogen used to expedite the process.
"Human urine offers some interesting possibilities for ammonia and potable water recovery," comments the team on its official publication age. "Membrane distillation holds possible advantages over existing urine treatment technologies, specifically regarding ammonia recovery."
"The possibility of potable water production was investigated in human urine by assessing the permeate water quality, maximum recovery and mid-term process stability," they add. "It was shown that at least 75% of the available water could be recovered from non-hydrolyzed human urine without process failure. As such, membrane distillation is a viable alternative for existing urine treatment."
The team behind the urine converter are hoping to bring the tech to a variety of locations, ranging from airports to sporting venues and festivals.
Via: Ghent University
Why not check out: T3 visits Heineken's Göss brewery and, yep you guessed it, we drink a dump truck load of beer
