Today's sewage is tomorrow's rocket fuel--at least, according to Stanford researchers. Raw sewage has long posed a problem for scientists who aim to get rid of it. That's because the chemical byproduct of the bacteria that break down waste is nitrous oxide--a greenhouse gas also known as laughing gas. The proposed solution? Using the nitrous oxide produced by waste as rocket fuel, of course, according to Popular Science:
"[The] rocket thruster, which was designed for use in spacecraft, can consume the excess nitrous oxide to produce heat. In a Stanford press release, [researcher] Cantwell says the nitrous oxide can heat an engine to almost 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit and expel nitrogen and oxygen at 5,000 feet per second."
Hot oxygen and nitrogen are far less harmful to the environment than nitrous oxide, and the methane that also is produced can help power other wastewater plants, the researchers say. This method, in ...
