Since leaving his day job at Microsoft, Bill Gates has been focused on trying to solve some of the world’s bigger problems. For example, eradicating polio, developing and delivering vaccines to the world’s poorest countries, funding the condom of the future, and attempting to reinvent the toilet.
It turns out western toilets just don’t work for developing countries because of the supporting infrastructure they need, notably sewer lines and treatment facilities. So Gates set a challenge for university researchers to reinvent the toilet, and the results were surprisingly good. However, Gates isn’t one to shy away from good ideas, and his attention has also turned to the Janicki Bioenergy Omniprocessor.
This machine takes in large quantities of untreated human waste and turns it into electricity, drinking water, and ash. You can see Bill Gates drinking the water it produces in the video below. A few minutes earlier that water was human waste.
The Omniprocessor has a lot of potential because it is a self-contained unit that can be deployed anywhere in the world. Put waste in one end, get water and power out the other thanks to the novel use of a steam engine. It’s also very efficient, with the latest model producing up to 86,000 liters of water a day and 250kw of electricity when handling the waste of 100,000 people. It also conforms to US emission standards.
Gates is promoting and funding the Omniprocessor through his foundation not only because it can help provide clean drinking water and power to developing countries, but also because it stops human waste spreading disease. With an Omniprocessor in operation, waste won’t be dumped into rivers, which is where many people turn for their drinking water. It also generates an income for the operator.
The next stage is for Janicki to take the Omniprocessor to Dakar, Senegal later this year for a pilot project. That should highlight any remaining problems with the system as well as allowing them to test remote operation of the unit. So Janicki can monitor and control every Omniprocessor in operation around the world from their home base in Seattle if they so wish.