NASA use wastewater to make biofuels

NASA scientists have recently been showing off a new treatment plant in San Francisco, where they believe they have devised a way to convert wastewater into biofuels.

Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae (OMEGA) is a two year project that has been sponsored by the space agency. The technology is almost at completion, and was recently shown off to journalists and reporters at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant.

Project scientist Jonathan Trent said that the plant was developed in an attempt to make a viable alternative to fossil fuels for jet propellants. Researchers have been searching for a way to produce different biofuel composition on a scale that can compete with traditional fuels, and using wastewater could be a viable way of achieving this.

Mr Trent said: "It is absolutely crucial that we move away from fossil fuels." Using algae to achieve this has been recognised by researchers as being the best alternative for the job, and several research initiatives have already explored this concept.

The process also cleanses wastewater, which is then released gradually into the ocean through the membranes of the photobioreactors.

Posted by Joseph Hutton