Thursday, January 2, 2014

A toilet that may be more productive than you

Yeah, I'm writing about toilets, but don't judge this post yet!

In an attempt to create a self-sufficient toilet, innovators at the California Institute of Technology have incorporated an electrolysis cell into their electrochemical water splitting method of making clean water from toilet water. First, water (H2O) is split into two gases, hydrogen and oxygen, so oxygen can react with chlorine found in urine. This reaction creates means for purification of the water. The excess hydrogen gas later reacts with oxygen and water vapor in a high temperature fuel cell to create an electric current stored in batteries. So now's the time when some people must come to the realization, "Wow, this toilet might be more productive than I am."

So whenever I hear of something generating an electrical current, I think of the common science fair project where the potato somehow powers the clock, but here toilet water is creating an electrical current! It would be a waste to not make use of this waste! Buh dum tsssss... Sorry I had to. I won't mind if you REUSE that pun. Alright, enough with the puns now.
Here is the article: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/12/toilet-wastewater-purification-hydrogen-fuel-cell

Still, there's one point this article casually drifts over. This method of toilet water purification water purification  produces water which can be used for "toilet flushing or crop irrigation." So our vegetables and other crops can be watered with toilet water? Yum thanks science... It's cool how the scientists were able to use a common knowledge of chemical reactions to purify water and even produce an electric current, but could this water at least be used for something less repulsive? Maybe our houses can be toilet powered one day! Still, I wouldn't want to drink this clean toilet water, and I wouldn't want food made with this toilet water either!

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