VIDEO: Bill Gates drinks water processed from human waste

Would you drink a glass of water extracted from human waste? If it’s good enough for one of the world’s richest men...

Bill Gates through the Gates Foundation has helped fund the Omniprocessor project - a machine which turns human waste into water and electricity.

And Bill is so convinced of its efficacy that he was willing to drink a glass of the water that had been human waste just five minutes before.

In a January 5th blog post, Gates describes the experience:

"I watched the piles of feces go up the conveyer belt and drop into a large bin. They made their way through the machine, getting boiled and treated. A few minutes later I took a long taste of the end result: a glass of delicious drinking water."

The clever machine is designed and built by Janicki Bioenergy and uses steam=powered texhnology to extract water vapors from sewage sludge. The waste is then burned by the machine - at high temperatures of 1000 degrees so there are no lingering nasty smells.

And while it on the face it, it might seem a bit off-putting, the company believe it could have a huge impact on areas without good waste treatment plants.

The next step for the project is a pilot scheme in Senegal and it is planned that the next-generation Omniprocessor will be able to handle waste from 100,000 people, producing up to 86,000 litres of potable water a day and a 250 kw of electricity.

H/T: BreakingNews.ie