Omniprocessor- The Solution to Water Contamination
Clean water comes out of our taps everyday and is considered as a basic amenity in many urban areas. However, 35% of the world's population doesn't get clean water. This issue has caused countless deaths. In fact, contaminated water is the leading cause of death by surpassing death by violence and diseases.Moreover, it has also been reported that contaminated water is the cause of more than 10% of diseases in the world. So, there is no doubt that this is a large hurdle that is slowing the rate of human advancement.
Humanity has been facing this issue for years but we still haven't created an effective treatment method for sewage that is compatible to the conditions of developing nations. Although, more people get access to clean water than many did decades ago, a very large chunk of the world's population are still at high risk. However, an innovative new machine called the Omniprocessor is set to tackle these issues in a sustainable way.
The Omniprocessor was aimed at the water problems that are present in developing countries. The processor basically converts septage into potable water. So, the project was kickstarted in 2014 when a US company Janicki Bioenergy presented a prototype of the omniprocessor and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation decided to fund the project. There are two prototypes the S100 and the S200. The S100 costs around 1.6 million dollars and can produce 18500 liters of water and approximately 110 kw of electricity. The S200 which is under research and development is a larger model which can provide water for around 100,000 people and produces 86,500 liters of water and 250 KW of electricity. So, yes the Omniprocessor is a self sustaining machine as well.
Although,the process through which the Omniprocessor converts sewer sludge filled with fecal matter into clean water can be labeled as something that's not appealing to the senses, the truth is that the process makes sure that there are no harmful substances left in the clean water that is produced. Basically, sewer sludge goes into a boiling container and the water is separated from the fecal matter by evaporation. Then, the water and the fecal matter part ways where the water goes into a filter chamber to remove harmful particles. At the same time, the fecal matter goes into a heating chamber that heats it until it is converted into steam. This steam is converted into electricity and used to power the machine. Any additional electricity is channeled to the communities. Therefore, this solution is both energy efficient and shows the expected results effectively. Please refer to the figure below to better conceptualize the structure of the Omniprocessor.
The Omniprocessor is a success story of how funding clean energy projects can truly try to solve problems other than just global warming. The omniprocessor will not just save lives by providing poverty stricken communities clean water, it will also sanitize the neighborhood as all the sewage will be directed towards it for treatment and it can also act as a supplemental source of electricity. The Omniprocessor is set to save lives and truly let developing nations solve one of their largest hurdles towards advancement and achieve their goal of attaining clean and healthy communities.
Video explanation of Omniprocessor
