U of M gets NASA grant to turn urine into drinking water

Astronauts need to recycle urine and fecal matter to create more drinking water, and one U of M professor received a grant from NASA this summer to continue working on purification devices. "It would be better if I could turn lead into gold," said Gary Emmert, chemistry professor. Local news outlets have recently jumped on the story, because astronauts will soon be taking a device with them to the space station that purifies the water made from urine, sweat, fecal matter and the air. "We find it fascinating what the astronauts will go through to push the frontiers of space exploration," said Emmert, explaining why this subject has come to the forefront of the media. It costs $14,000 per pound to put something in orbit, and the eight pound gallons of water are one of the most limiting factors for the number of personnel that can be brought and sustained in space, said Emmert. With new long term projects in the works, like a two year mission to Mars, NASA is looking for a way to recycle waste and create drinkable water, and Professor Emmert beat out competition all over the state to get a $300,000 grant for his work. Emmert is building a device he describes as a "lab in a shoebox" that will monitor water to make sure no microorganisms are present and also check for possible byproducts that disinfecting agents might create. One common byproduct of disinfected water is chloroform, a chemical compound made famous as a weapon in murder mysteries to knock out unsuspecting victims through inhalation. Chloroform also has the potential to cause cancer, and NASA told Emmert they wanted to make sure any water ingested in space was as safe as water on the planet. Another hope for Emmert is that his device will help the water taste better. Currently, the water sent up with the astronauts is disinfected with iodine, giving it a murky brown color and medicinal flavor. Emmert said long-term missions like an exploration of Mars would take a heavy psychological toll on astronauts. Fresh, good-tasting drinking water would provide comfort and relieve stress. Another important aspect of Emmert's work is his goal to make a device that astronauts will not have to spend time working on while in the air, unless it malfunctions. Essentially, Emmert is working to create an automated machine that will purify the water without the astronauts having to perform scientific tasks in a bulky uniform. While Emmert did not receive the grant from NASA until this summer, he has been working on water purification since the early 1990's. He came to The U of M in 2002, and he said his work had come a long way. One of Emmert's earliest memories was his father marching upstairs with a new television so he and his family could watch Neil Armstrong, he said. The 42 year old said growing up, he wanted to be an astronaut himself. "I grew up at a time when there were only four channels and when a space mission happened we were all glued to the TV set," he said. "This is almost like the culmination of a lifelong dream." Emmert also said that while he was the ideas guy for the project, his graduate students were helping tremendously by doing the actual work. He said he took a gamble when deciding to focus his life's work on water, but with water becoming more of a rare commodity than was once expected, it seems to have paid off. The United States has a competitive advantage as the world's leader in producing safe drinking water, he said, and his work is geared toward maintaing it. He said he hopes his research will have a global impact and the need for clean water will not turn into the same fight for oil we are facing today. "Gas is expensive, but you are paying more for a gallon of water than a gallon of gasoline," he said.