Could Human Waste Be Recycled Into Food For Space Travel?

[Lightknight]

I wonder how efficient they could possibly make this with likely diminishing returns with every "transfer" of energy. The general rule of thumb is that each level of consumption of energy is reduced by 10%. So a plant converts 10% of the sun's energy. A cow converts 10% of the plant's energy. A human converts 10% of the cow's energy and so forth.

Snip

Actually, Pittsburgh water is heavily treated for purification before it reaches the tap. It's all about those grand degrees of separation, yo.

There are several holes in purification processes. For example, hormones in urine aren't commonly filtered out so even estrogen/progesterone from women are making their way into your water. Fun stuff.

There are several holes in a normal process. As I understand it, we overcompensate to the point where you can taste the iron. You see, the rivers can get pretty damn dirty, sometimes. Come to Pittsburgh after a big rainstorm or even a flood and see how the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers turn the Ohio River half-blue and half-brown. With weather like that, who needs enemies? So, they treat it pretty damn hard. A friend of mine left here and went over to his folks' place where they have well-water. HOO BOY did he get sick. Putting aside the normal effect, his body was acclimatized to our water enough that he had a more severe reaction, and then it happened AGAIN to acclimatize back to ours!

The problem is that filtering for hormones is different than filtering for other things. Unless you have evidence to support that your municipality has policies in place to filter for hormone regulation then it is extremely unlikely that they do. Unless regulated, they will generally do the cheapest thing possible and getting several pollutants out is a lot easier (see "cheaper") than hormone regulation.

Someone should recommend a Brita filter to your friend if he has trouble with acclimation to water sources. They can be pretty cheap if you bulk purchase at Costco and you can generally use them well past their expiration dates.

I recently purchased a new home on a six acre plot of land with well water. I've honestly never had cleaner water. But then again, it is aquifer filtered before it gets to the pump. But alas, since I use a Brita filter it ends up tasting about the same (great taste).

 

[Lightknight]

I guess it depends on how much nutritional content can be salvaged from human waste. If water, salt, iron, and proteins can be extracted out, I could see it being injected back into the body.

Right, but it would never be 100% efficient and the body has already pulled a lot of content out for the body to function. So the diminishing returns would be huge in each cycle.

The only question is how long this could extend the food supply. For example, if you had enough supplies for 100 days, would this be able to extend it for more than one more day?

I guess that's the question they've got to answer even when they find the bacteria (which i don't imagine would be hard). Hopefully there would also be an easy way to sanitize the results (I'm not going to eat nutritious shit-soaked bacteria if they aren't properly sanitized).

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

He DID lament not bringing a filter, since this would've been a common problem that everyone gets. As for hormonal stuff, a quick look at a site reveals that it may not be filtered out, but that they are aware of the fact that these things may be there, and therefore recommend a reverse-osmosis device be added for extra protection.

 

[Lightknight]

Snip

He DID lament not bringing a filter, since this would've been a common problem that everyone gets. As for hormonal stuff, a quick look at a site reveals that it may not be filtered out, but that they are aware of the fact that these things may be there, and therefore recommend a reverse-osmosis device be added for extra protection.

Right, and I've seen these being recommended for years now and am not particularly aware of sites implementing them.

So you could be drinking hormones from animals and people alike that just aren't filtered out. Who knows what kind of health problems these could be causing in various areas especially in a society where something like the pill floods systems with things like progesterone or estrogen which inevitably finds its way into the system. I wonder what harm these could cause in women and males during fetal and childhood development phases...

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

He DID lament not bringing a filter, since this would've been a common problem that everyone gets. As for hormonal stuff, a quick look at a site reveals that it may not be filtered out, but that they are aware of the fact that these things may be there, and therefore recommend a reverse-osmosis device be added for extra protection.

Right, and I've seen these being recommended for years now and am not particularly aware of sites implementing them.

So you could be drinking hormones from animals and people alike that just aren't filtered out. Who knows what kind of health problems these could be causing in various areas especially in a society where something like the pill floods systems with things like progesterone or estrogen which inevitably finds its way into the system. I wonder what harm these could cause in women and males during fetal and childhood development phases...

Well, I'll tell you what. If my sister's first child looks strange or unhealthy when born, I'll let you know.