Innovative drought relief in California: from toilet to tap
California is pioneering a daring strategy of turning sewage into safe, potable water in response to the severe concerns of water scarcity exacerbated by climate change. The State Water Resources Control Board approved laws that allow treated wastewater to flow straight into Californians' taps, Read More...
Cheers to water recycling: Turning wastewater into beer
After years of drought, water recycling has become a pressing issue in California, and a water-recycling company is looking to raise awareness about the possibilities of water reuse. With the help of Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, Epic Cleantec created a beer made from greywater recycled from a Read More...
Could sound-based filtration be the answer to the microplastic problem?
There is no doubt that microplastics pose a rising ecological and health risk, but this wasn’t always the case. It’s only recently that scientists began to appreciate the scope of these microscopic particles and their influence on animals ranging from marine life to humans. A 2019 study found Read More...
Vegetable oil byproduct can filter heavy metals from water
It’s unfortunate, but creating many of our products these days can also create harmful waste. We love finding stories about businesses and scientists repurposing waste to improve life. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and ETH Zurich, Switzerland have discovered a Read More...
Breakthrough method that rescues lithium from wastewater
Electric vehicles are the future of transport. Electric vehicle sales increase year after year and, in 2019, accounted for 2.6 percent of global car sales. Electric vehicles are an essential change to be made for reducing the number of greenhouse gases and non-renewable resources used by humans, Read More...
This simple solution uses flowers to recycle waste water in your home
From saving on utility bills to helping replenish groundwater, recycling water has many benefits for both people and the planet. Not long ago, we shared a story about Hydraloop, a water recycling system that can be installed in homes and offices to help reduce water waste. Now, we would like to Read More...
New hydrogen fuel method also cleans up pharmaceutical waste
We recently wrote about how hydrogen power could be used to clean up commercial ammonia production. Now, another group of researchers is also exploring the symbiotic cleaning powers of this green energy source. A team of engineers has come up with a catalyst that could remove pharmaceutical toxins Read More...
Covid-19 detecting robot quickly scans wastewater for viral traces
Detecting Covid-19 outbreaks as soon as they emerge helps governments enact preventative spread measures and reduce the severity of the surge. Using wastewater as an early detection tool, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has developed a sewage-handling robot Read More...
This startup is repurposing wastewater one flush at a time
Water conservation is a pillar of environmentalism and critical for protecting the Earth's dwindling fresh water supply. We've featured desalination solutions that are aiding in this effort, but today we're focusing on localized water treatment as a path to water security. Startup Epic Read More...
Scientists are finding ways to harness energy and recover metals from wastewater
The average American uses a staggering 60 gallons of water per day for purposes that include flushing toilets, showering and doing laundry. This figure can easily double if outdoor uses, such as watering lawns and filling swimming pools, are also included. Most of that water eventually will become Read More...