Damage caused by drought in California forced the US authorities to consider the recycling of wastewater as an option to ensure the resource in the long run.
The possibility to reuse the water for human consumption contaminated with urine and feces rejection always generated because of their flavor.
Californians, however, began to change his mind after four consecutive years of harsh climatic conditions, no rain or snow.
The snow of the mountains of Sierra Nevada, a major source for consumption, virtually disappeared, while the water of the Colorado River imports fell.
"Everyone is studying the recycling of waste water", he explained the expert and professor emeritus at the University California Davis, George Tchobanoglous.
"Today we played at sea a large part of this water when we could reuse it," he said. "You can do and is cost effective in large coastal settlements."
As in Texas
In a study published last year, Tchobanoglous estimated that by 2020 the recycled water could feed one fifth of the 38 million California residents.
The State of Texas, who also lives a dry, long ago began using the system that recovers water from baths, showers, washing machines and dishwashers to give them a second life.
Supporters of this method in California point to the example of the purification plant of Orange County, south of Los Angeles. It opened in 2008 and each day is 378 million liters, enough to supply 850,000 people.
In Los Angeles County there is another smaller plant known as West Basin, also specializes in recycling water for drinking or industrial use.
"So far we saw wastewater as a waste, but is now a very valuable resource," pointed his responsible Shivaji Deshmukh.
Much cheaper
Unlike Texas, where plants distribute recycled water to consumers in California relocates to the ground water before drinking.
The quality is the same in both cases: the first one microfiltra water to remove any organism, then purified and passes ultraviolet rays to kill bacteria last.
The water ends up being almost purer than bottled supermarket, so we must add some minerals that give the flavor.
NASA uses this technique on the International Space Station. A machine collects urine and sweat of astronauts to produce the coffee or water that is used for brushing teeth.
The final cost of this process can help to improve the image of wastewater.
"Bottled water is worth about 10 thousand times without quality is necessarily better," said the spokesman for West Basin, Ron Wildermuth.
"There are one or two days, the water was in sewers. Now it has one of the best qualities we can find," he said, before drinking a sip.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário