NASA engineers have been working for years on a filtration system that allows the creation of potable water on ships due to weight and space restrictions that prevent the transport of fresh water.
Various methods have been used on the International Space Station to carry out this process, but the novelty now lies in the fact that have managed to recycle up to 98% of astronaut fluids to produce drinking water, compared to the previous recovery of 94%.
How does the conversion of urine into drinking water work?
On the International Space Station (ISS), an advanced water recovery system is used to convert urine, as well as water vapor from breathing and sweat, into drinkable water. The system consists of several stages that are responsible for filtering and purifying the residual water.
The first step in the conversion process is the removal of large impurities using a microgravity filter. The urine is then treated with chemicals to kill bacteria and other contaminants.
Next, a distillation process called a multiple effect evaporator is used, which heats the solution and collects the resulting water vapor. This vapor is condensed and collected as purified water.
However, the water resulting from this process still contains trace amounts of chemicals and may taste slightly different than conventional drinking water. Therefore, undergoes an additional stage of purification using a reverse osmosis system, which uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove any residue.
Once the recycling process is complete, the purified water is stored in tanks aboard the ISS and used for food preparation, hydration for astronauts, and oxygen generation through electrolysis systems.
To give you an idea of how useful this system is, they explain that during a one-year mission on the ISS in 2015/2016, astronaut Scott Kelly drank 730 liters of recycled sweat and urine. And not just yours.
Source: www.gearrice.com
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