Belgian scientists have given a whole new meaning to the term “getting on the piss” after inventing a machine that turns pee into beer.
The device uses solar energy to turn urine into drinkable water, which can then be used for brewing beer.
According to the Daily Mail, a team of scientists from Ghent University have been working on the device that collects urine in a large tank.
The urine is then heated in a solar-powered boiler and passes through a membrane separating out the water. Nutrients, such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous are also separated out and can be used to make fertilisers.
The scientists say that the technique could be used in rural areas or developing countries as their new system of treating waste water is more energy efficient and can also be applied in areas that aren’t connected to the electricity grid.
The researchers recently wheeled the machine out at a 10-day music and theatre festival in Ghent and recovered more than 1,000 litres of water from the urine of festival-goers.
As Belgium is world-famous for its beer, they have plans to use the festival water to brew some up.
One of the researchers, Dr Derese said: ‘We call it from sewer to brewer.’
Source: Daily Mail