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Turning urine to drinking water


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One more blessing about living in a part of the world where we can actually turn on the faucet and drink the water (yet ironically we buy our water).

Look at what is being discussed about people on earth who lack drinking water:

After five days of tinkering, astronauts aboard the International Space Station ran their first successful test Tuesday of equipment that turns urine into drinking water.

Delivered to the station by the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the $154 million water recycling system, which also processes sweat and moisture from the air, is designed to quench astronauts’ thirst while requiring fewer costly resupply missions. Samples of the recycled water will be tested back on earth before astronauts aboard the station can start drinking from the system’s tap.

This raises a question: Can we build these things on earth? Maybe even for a little less than $154 million?

There’s definitely a need. According to the World Health Organization, some 1.1 billion people lack access to clean water. That’s almost 1 in 6 human beings. And according to the United Nations Development Programme, women and girls in developing countries collectively spend more than 10 million “person-years” hauling water from remote sources each year.

And it’s only getting worse. As a study published in Nature in April predicts that, by 2025 more than half of the world’s countries will face freshwater stress or shortages, and by 2050, as much as 75 percent of the world’s population could face freshwater scarcity.

A cheap and reliable urine-to-potable-water device could solve what is arguably the world’s No. 1 problem, so to speak.

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Hopefully, I'll be long gone by 2075..... this isn't a pretty picture.

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One more blessing about living in a part of the world where we can actually turn on the faucet and drink the water (yet ironically we buy our water).

Look at what is being discussed about people on earth who lack drinking water:

link

Hopefully, I'll be long gone by 2075..... this isn't a pretty picture.

What about de-salinization plants?

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One more blessing about living in a part of the world where we can actually turn on the faucet and drink the water (yet ironically we buy our water).

Look at what is being discussed about people on earth who lack drinking water:

link

Hopefully, I'll be long gone by 2075..... this isn't a pretty picture.

What's the difference? All the waste of everything that lives ends up in lakes, oceans and aquifers. Nature recycles it into fresh water pure enough to drink. She's been doing it for millions of years. The machine on the space station does it in exactly the same fashion, just in a smaller package.

So why should it bother us? Especially when for so many poor souls it could be their only source of safe drinking water!

Most folks like sausage but can't bear to watch it being made, I guess. ;)

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Maybe they will have gene therapy so that the waste we produce is just H2O. heh

Now that'll give a whole new meaning to making lemonade when life gives you lemons....

To Shakey and Wild Bill, yes, I suppose you're right, what we have now isn't that different.

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...I thought that was the shower? Charles should be on this just..... about....now!

You arrive just in time to take part in toilet humor? What happened to the highly informed Bush Cheney - ready to share all top secrets entrusted to him with any one that is willing to be his friend...Your loosing it boy...now get back to work and amuze me - no pee pee jokes.

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You arrive just in time to take part in toilet humor? What happened to the highly informed Bush Cheney - ready to share all top secrets entrusted to him with any one that is willing to be his friend...Your loosing it boy...now get back to work and amuze me - no pee pee jokes.

I don't think "golden showers" are a state secret. Urine, mostly urea and water, is quite unremarkable, but useful in a pinch.

My first aid training in the military included keeping the exposed intestines moist with urine if nothing better (sterile) was available.

Urine is good...poop is bad! :lol:

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I don't think "golden showers" are a state secret. Urine, mostly urea and water, is quite unremarkable, but useful in a pinch.

My first aid training in the military included keeping the exposed intestines moist with urine if nothing better (sterile) was available.

Urine is good...poop is bad! :lol:

And at 98.something degrees fahrenheit, handy if someone you know and not quite like happens to stick their tongue on a metal pole in sub zero weather...

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Considering every Sci-Fi movie and televsion show we have ever watched has either talked about it or connoted this in some way shape or form it shouldn't bother anyone - we probably already thought it was happening up there with out actually giving it any thought.

The human body is mostly water - we could go so far as to go completely "Dune" and recycle all water expended from the human body. But most people wouldnt agree to that as it might come across as a little less than connected to our own people emotionally.

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