New water purification technology designed for NASA by Water Security will allow (in NASA’s case) recycling of waste fluids of all kinds back into potable water. Ideal for them as the current cost of hauling water into orbit is about $40,000 per (US) gallon, ideal for others as any (fresh) water is then a potentially viable resource.

Apparently the equipment can be constructed at any size from man-portable to industrial, so I wonder if a the Frank Herbert¹ style desert Still Suit for desert combat/ travel is in the works. Concern for Children took one on the back of a Hi-Lux and in a day could provide enough water for 5,000 people for a month.

The process involves chemical adsorption, ion exchange and filtration at several levels to remove nearly all known impurities. It seem to be be pretty effective too:

[...] the technology was originally tested on an open sewage ditch in Jakarta and produced water that met Environmental Protection Agency standards.

It would be interesting to know how well it compares to ‘normal’ filtration systems (presumably better, as NASA decided new technology was required), and it would seem that large volumes can be processed without needing elements replacing. It’s ability to convert almost any water to something drinkable should make it an essential for humanitarian aid as well as space travel. Something else to throw out the back of a transport along with the dehydrated housing then.
[via Wired]

Posted in Technology | Tags: space, water purification |