Ever since he stepped down from Microsoft, Bill Gates has been busy trying to solve some of the world’s biggest problems like poverty, illiteracy, and ill health. One of his pet projects is the Omniprocessor, a self-powered machine that converts sewer sludge (including human waste) into clean drinking water, ash and electricity. So, naturally, he had to go try it and see for himself.
With the Omniprocessor, the sludge is boiled until it separates into solids and water vapor. The former fuels a fire inside the machine, which creates steam and then electricity, while the latter is fed through a cleaning system to produce regular old H2O.
The Omniprocessor is scheduled for a pilot program in Dakar, Senegal later this year.
