Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!
Codebreaker

Clean technology can be dirty business

Marc Sanchez Mar 2, 2012


Scientists at Penn State announced advancements in fuel cell technology yesterday as part of a report published in the journal Science yesterday. The idea they put forth is to create energy out of sewage. Sounds gross, I know, but this could be huge. Professor Bruce Logan is working on the project. He spoke with the Guardian:

Switching sewage plants from users to generators of electricity would be especially useful in developing countries, said Logan, an environmental engineer specialising in water systems. “There are 2 billion people in the world who need sanitation, including 1 billion who need access to clean water,” he said. “If you go into a country and give them a waste treatment system – the World Bank and others have done this – they do not keep it going, as it needs power and maintenance. It is a drain on the community. But if you can also provide electricity for lighting, or charging mobile phones, that’s a game-changer.”

The researchers believe that energy generated from reconstituted sewage could be used to provide power for entire water grids.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.