The article claims that Oregon State University has created
a more efficient and effective way to produce electricity from microbial culture
then current methods implemented in waste water treatment plants. The
University released a press statement that they have produced a microbial fuel
that can generate 10 to 50 times more electricity, per volume than most current
microbial fuel cells. This break thru would allow waste water treatment plants
to fuel themselves and sell the excess fuel in the public market. The article
makes the argument that once this new technology is implemented in waste water
treatment plants all over the world the results would produce a significant amount
of energy while effectively cleaning waste water.
The article makes a really good point to back up their
argument. Experts have estimated that 3 percent of the electricity consumed in
the United States and developing countries is used in water treatment plants,
and this fuel is produced by burning fossil fuels that are destroying our
planet and contributing to global warming. If this new treatment process was implemented
and the biodegradable characteristics of waste water were fully tapped into it
could produce much more energy that is being currently used with no additional
greenhouse gasses. This is a very strong point because the world is facing an ecological
crisis.
What really makes this argument is the fact that they
provide tested scientific evidence and educated minds have reasonably
speculated on the outcomes. I had never know that waste water treatment plants create
energy and this article showed me that with a few tweaks waste water treatment
could be beneficial to many different parts of life not only clean water. With
world energy prices skyrocketing a new technology like this makes the future
look a lot brighter.
http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2012/aug/major-advance-made-generating-electricity-wastewater
