I think the following (as opposed to my earlier research) is more specific to the narrative we are trying to tell. It deals with water treatment. I'm thinking of treating the waste water from our urban space with a membrane bioreactor. We should consider the waste from all the other elements in our kit and then tie it in with the water cycle Vantar is working towards, and in the end, aim for sustainability and zero waste.
THE GOAL: WATER FOR IRRIGATION
THE ELEMENT: THE MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR
Used in existing urban applications:
The Earth Rangers Centre, see http://my.cagbc.org/database/img_489c7680afef8.pdf(accessed November 9)
The Earth Rangers Centre is a wildlife facility that has implemented many 'green' aspects into the daily functions of the building. The membrane bioreactor that I speak of is used here. They use the ZENON brand. The water that they get from the filter doesn't seem to be good enough for drinking because they use it for applications such as toilet flushing, cleaning floors and cages, and filling waterfowl ponds. They also get extra water from collecting rain water from the roof. By using rain and treated water (treat on site) they save from using drinkable water. The LEED Consultant in this project was Enermodel Engineering and on their site,
Earth Rangers, they also discuss the wastewater treatment used at Earth Rangers, a bioreactor and ultra-filtration system.
Side Note: Natalie suggested we present our material in more imaginative ways. Here is an example of the "nutritional information" look.
<--example for presentation of final
Other locations recycling water:
http://www.financialpost.com/take+water+granted/3726569/story.html#ixzz14qQo3nXJ
In this article of Financial Post, examples are given of communities who use a "grey-water reclamation system", like Quayside Village in North Vancouver. Other locations, like St. Petersburg, Florida actually collect grey-water from houses and reuse it for irrigation. This is definitely something we should consider and employ in the water cycle aspect of our kit.
Companies offering this treatment system:
http://www.gewater.com/zenon.jsp
This is what they offer: "ZENON Environmental, now part of GE Power & Water, continues in the tradition of being a global leader in advanced membranes for water purification, wastewater treatment applications including membrane bioreactor (MBR), tertiary water filtration, drinking water treatment, industrial process water and water reuse. ZENON’s technology solutions are part of GE’s leading portfolio of advanced water equipment, chemicals and services."
What it is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_bioreac
tor
A membrane bioreactor can be used in a home to treat waste water to be good enough quality to be used for irrigation. As Vantar has eloquently explained, bugs in the filter eat all the 'solid waste' and clean water comes out the other side. More on feasibility and maintenance of this unit soon.
Michelle Duong, November 9, 2010.
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