The researchers at the University of Ghent claim that they have devised a machine that can turn your urine into beer! Unlike the beer that tastes like piss, this one will be a drinkable beverage!
Previously, they have also claimed to use a solar-powered boiler and special membrane to collect water and fertilizer from the urine. The team successfully tested the first method at a music festival in Ghent where they managed to collect whopping 1,000 liters of water in just 10 days. Now they are looking to perform a similar experiment for creating a beer using the same water.
According to Sebastiaan Derese, one of the researchers at the University, the team has named the beer “from sewer to brewer.” This self-explanatory and catchy name is as intriguing as the technology itself as recovering the fertilizer and drinking water from the urine is achieved via an extremely simple process.
The purification of the urine is done by first collecting it in a tank and then heating it using a solar-powered boiler. The urine water evaporates and is passed through the membrane that separates the pure water and the nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous found in the urine.
The beer making process can be turned into a commercial project, or just to get the hype around the rolling technology. The team has made it clear that their ultimate and actual plan is to provide clean and drinkable water to the underprivileged rural areas. The researchers are planning to install more purification machines at public places like shopping malls, sporting arenas, and airports to get this technology into the mainstream as soon as possible.
This truly has the potential of making a difference as it requires minimal energy and infrastructural resources to be installed and used. It is ideal for usage at far off and hard-to-develop places like refugee camps or underdeveloped villages.
Living in this modern world of science and still having millions of people without sanitation and clean drinking water is certainly a point of concern for all of us. This project is a great step to provide the basic facilities throughout the world. It aims at helping the people in rural areas of the world where sanitation is non-existent. Moreover, it offers technology that can cut down the infrastructural and plumage costs to make sure that each home has a toilet. Adding icing on the cake, the byproducts of this method are fertilizers such as nitrogen and phosphorous that can be used for irrigation and farming.
Watch the video explaining the phenomenon here. You can also check out these reviews of the people who have tried this beer.
By the sounds of it, this looks like something worth trying! Would do you think?
Likely had worse, and who cares after a few!