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Source: NASA |
Human
waste may one day be a valuable resource for astronauts on deep-space missions.
Now, a research team has shown that it is possible to rapidly break down solid
and liquid waste to grow food with a series of microbial reactors, while
simultaneously minimizing pathogen growth.
The
researchers' study addresses multiple challenges facing deep-space missions to
Mars or beyond, which would likely take months or years. Bringing enough food
from Earth takes up volume and increases the mass and fuel cost of the
spacecraft, while growing food in route using hydroponic or other methods would
be an energy- and water-intensive process that takes up valuable room.
To
test their idea, the researchers used an artificial solid and liquid waste
that's commonly used in waste management tests. They created an enclosed,
cylindrical system, four feet long by four inches in diameter, in which select
microbes came into contact with the waste. The microbes broke down waste using
anaerobic digestion, a process similar to the way humans digest food.
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