Inspiration in Waste Water Management

            This post is based on the Ted Talk given by Jonathan Trent about his OMEGA system design. OMEGA stands for offshore membrane enclosures for growing algae, a freshwater form of algae that will be developed. The plan is for the algae to be produced in plastic membranes filled with wastewater from sewage plants in the ocean. The ocean will hold a steady temperature, provide a natural mixing process with the movement of the waves and act as a safety barrier in case of any leaks by killing off the freshwater algae. The algae will grow with exposure to the sun, sequester CO2, release O2, and clean the waste water as it feeds off it. This microalga grows fast, and cane is harvested to make things like bio-fuels, fertilizer, animal feed, and cosmetics. This is a viable option for large coastal cities worldwide that can use the wastewater facilities and not just dump the sewage into the ocean. An OMEGA operation is not only environmentally friendly, but it can also produce local jobs, and the sites can double as aqua farms for seafood. The operation cost of these facilities can be offset by using renewable energy such as photovoltaics, wind turbines, and even wave kinetic energy generation. These innovative solutions are part of ongoing research propelling wastewater management toward the three r’s reuse, reduce and recycle.