GATES FOUNDATION FUNDS LOW-COST WASTE TREATMENT SYSTEM

Turning Poop into Clean Water on Bill Gates' List of Things-To-Do

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding a new type of low-cost waste treatment plant that is claimed can transform global sanitation. The OmniProcessor is a sophisticated system designed and built by Washington-based outfit Janicki Industries that turns raw sewage into clean water, ash and electricity. It basically incorporates three things: a steam power plant, a water filtration system and an incinerator. Peter Janicki CEO of Janicki Industries believes the OmniProcessor could be replicated in the thousands around the developing world where “half of all patients in hospitals are there because of problems with water and sanitation.” In theory the system should generate money by charging a town or city for sewage treatment and the provision of water and electricity. The non-toxic ash can also be used for fertilizer.