The recycling of waste is a growing part of our sustainable future, reclaiming valuable resources while reducing the impact of harmful substances leaching into the environment.
Recent research by scientists at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University is advancing that goal with a new sludge-to-food-to-fuel method for processing sewage, according to a report by Interesting Engineering.
"Our method transforms waste into valuable resources, reducing environmental damage while creating renewable energy and sustainable food. This exemplifies the circular economy and contributes to a greener future," associate professor Li Hong, lead researcher of the study, said in a press release.
This is a three-step process that begins with mechanically breaking down the sludge while chemically treating it to remove heavy metals, leaving organic materials such as proteins and carbohydrates.
Then, a solar-powered electrochemical process uses electrodes to convert these outputs into usable materials such as clean hydrogen and acetic acid, which is used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Lastly, light-activated bacteria are employed in the processed liquid stream, where they can convert nutrients into single-cell protein for animal feed, NTU detailed.
Sanitation and wastewater management processes need to be optimized to handle growing urban populations around the world. According to a United Nations report, 55% of the world's population lives in cities, while projections show this figure will increase to 68% by 2050
This will strain resources, making a sustainable circular economy more necessary than ever.
A key sustainable development goal by the U.N. detailed the necessary steps: "By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally."
The NTU lab's tests revealed that their new method recovered 91.4% of organic carbon from sewage sludge and converted 63% of it into single-cell protein without creating harmful byproducts. The solar-powered second step generated nearly 3.5 gallons of hydrogen per hour.
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Definitely 👍 If the method proves scalable, it could help improve water treatment across the globe where it's sorely needed.
Accurate data is scarce, but around 60% of global wastewater is safely processed with secondary methods. However, this percentage accounts for only 42 countries. Industrial treatment data was reported by just 22 countries, with only 27% of it being safely treated.
Through methods such as those reported by NTU, we could help sustain the agricultural sector through animal feed and power next-gen vehicles with hydrogen, including efficient public transportation.
"We hope that our proposed method shows the viability of managing waste sustainably and shift how sewage sludge is perceived — from waste to a valuable resource that supports clean energy and sustainable food production," Zhao Hu, first author of the study, concluded.
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