Other Dark Matter

The Science and Business of Turning Waste Into Wealth and Health

Inbunden, Engelska, 2021

309 kr

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The average person produces about four hundred pounds of excrement a year. More than seven billion people live on this planet. Holy crap!Because of the diseases it spreads, we have learned to distance ourselves from our waste, but the long line of engineering marvels we’ve created to do so—from Roman sewage systems and medieval latrines to the immense, computerized treatment plants we use today—has also done considerable damage to the earth’s ecology. Now scientists tell us: we’ve been wasting our waste. When recycled correctly, this resource, cheap and widely available, can be converted into a sustainable energy source, act as an organic fertilizer, provide effective medicinal therapy for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection, and much more.In clear and engaging prose that draws on her extensive research and interviews, Lina Zeldovich documents the massive redistribution of nutrients and sanitation inequities across the globe. She profiles the pioneers of poop upcycling, from startups in African villages to innovators in American cities that convert sewage into fertilizer, biogas, crude oil, and even life-saving medicine. She breaks taboos surrounding sewage disposal and shows how hygienic waste repurposing can help battle climate change, reduce acid rain, and eliminate toxic algal blooms. Ultimately, she implores us to use our innate organic power for the greater good. Don’t just sit there and let it go to waste.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2021-11-19
Mått152 x 229 x 26 mm
Vikt500 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor272
FörlagThe University of Chicago Press
ISBN9780226615578

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Part 1: The History of Human WasteChapter 1: How I Learned to Love the ExcrementChapter 2: The Early History of Human ExcretaChapter 3: Treasure Night Soil as if It Were Gold!Chapter 4: The Water Closet Dilemma and the Sewage Farm ParadigmChapter 5: Germs, Fertilizer, and the Poop PolicePart 2: The Present: A Sludge Revolution in ProgressChapter 6: The Great Sewage Time Bomb and the Redistribution of Nutrients on the PlanetChapter 7: Loowatt, a Loo That Turns Waste into WattsChapter 8: The Crap That Cooks Your Dinner and Container-Based SanitationChapter 9: HomeBiogas: Your Personal Digester in a BoxChapter 10: Made in New YorkChapter 11: Lystek, the Home of Sewage SmoothiesChapter 12: How DC Water Makes Biosolids BLOOMChapter 13: From Biosolids to BiofuelsPart 3: The Future of Medicine and Other ThingsChapter 14: Poop: The Best (and Cheapest) MedicineChapter 15: Looking where the Sun Doesn’t ShineChapter 16: From the Kindness of One’s Gut: An Insider Look into Stool BanksAfterword: Breathing Poetry into PoopNotesIndex

"A take on waste that's anything but wasteful—it's a fascinating dig into the history and science of handling human excrement. . . . Equally remarkable are Zeldovich's sections on the development and evolution of wastewater treatment plants. . . . Zeldovich is at home with an awkward subject, making for a grossly engrossing and vivid survey. Readers won't take the 'flush and forget' mindset for granted again."