Venter Institute gets $5M for pure water tech

Published on July 16, 2013 03:34 by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic

What's more important than a tricorder? Clean water, says theRoddenberry Foundation, which has given a J. Craig Venter Institute scientist $5 million for a microbial fuel cell to purify sewage and make electricity in the process.

Orianna Bretschger received the five-year grant to develop the fuel cell using her BioElectrochemical Sanitation Technology, which taps into microbial metabolism of sewage to make potable water and electricity to boot.As microbes break down organic sludge, they produce electrons, which are harnessed through electrodes in the fuel cell. Tapping into the electricity actually accelerates the breakdown process, the Venter Institute said in a press release issued Wednesday.

Bretschger's team has already successfully treated municipal wastewater and sewage sludge at the 100-gallon per-day scale, enough to support a small household, a press release on the grant stated.

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