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| Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, right, looks at a glass of water made from human waste. / YouTube screen capture |
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he is willing to drink "poop water."
The remark was in regards to Janicki Omniprocessor, a machine that supposedly converts human feces
into water in around five minutes. Named after Janicki Bioenergy CEO Peter Janicki, the project is part of the Gates Foundation's effort to improve sanitation in poor countries.
"The water tasted as good as any I've had out of a bottle," Gates said. "And having studied the engineering behind it, I would happily drink it every day. It's that safe," he said in a blog post after taking a sip of water distilled from feces.
In a video posted on the blog, he introduced a sewage treatment plant and explained how human faeces could turn into clean water.
Human waste goes into the Omniprocessor, where it is heated in large tubes. Water vapor is separated from the solids. The solids are burned to make steam that in turn creates electricity.
Later this year, the pilot plant will be built in Dakar, Senegal. Although it may take many years for the project to be widely used, Bill said its future remains bright.
"If we can develop safe, affordable ways to get rid of human waste, we can prevent many of those deaths and help more children grow up healthy," Gates said.
"It would turn waste into a commodity with real value in the marketplace. It's the ultimate example of that old expression: one man's trash is another man's treasure."
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