Bill Gates Drinks Water Distilled From Human Sewage

Janicki Bioenergy based in Seattle has devised an Omni Processor system that takes raw sewage, boils it, separating solids from water vapor. The solids are then used to produce electricity – with the extracted water used for drinking. Sewage contains about 80 percent water and 20 percent biomass; untreated, such sewage can be toxic to ingest. Bill Gates drank a glass of water made from sewage to urge safe and clean water supplies in the developing world, reports BBC News. The NGO WaterAid reports more than 700 million people worldwide lack clean drinking water, and the World Health Organization reports near one out of four throughout the world lack access to clean sanitation facilities. Gates and water experts plan to encourage entrepreneurs to try the system in communities throughout the developing world. A headline on the company’s website proclaims Gates also acknowledges that philanthropy often presents inventions that fail to deliver. Pilot programs are planned for Senegal and India, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. – YaleGlobal