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‘Little coverage’ after Alberta man’s invention revolutionizes Antarctica waste treatment

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[Peter Christou in front of the Concordia Research Station in Antarctica/Peter Christou]

It took 15 kilograms of Rice Krispies along with some cat litter and soil and Peter Christou managed to get his sewage and water filtration system in the Antarctic working back in January.

“It’s activated sludge,” the Edmonton inventor told Yahoo Canada News. “The cereal makes great clumps of bacteria and cat food is for the nutrients and the soil is for bio-solids.”

Testing it out at the Concordia Research Station, jointly run by the French and Italians, was a dream come true for Christou, who prides his invention with revolutionizing waste treatment in the southern ice zone.

“Basically, they dump their chemical, food and human waste onto the ice and on the penguin colonies,” he said. “Now they can recycle their sewage into usable water.”

The engineering technician says he was upset seeing that much waste was being created in the southern ice cap.

“In 2016, that is not an acceptable practice.”

Christou’s Swirltex membranes — porous white plastic tubes — have also attracted the interests of the European Space Agency.

“A little Canadian company has made a massive difference where others — with a lot more money and gadgets and experts — has not been able to do,” declares Christou.

“We don’t have to use a lot of energy for this either. “

The Alberta man has been working on and off on the system for about eight years. Christou, who normally sets up waste and wastewater systems at camps in the North and at oil and gas sites, says he went simple.

“It’s not about the membrane but how we use it. We spin the liquid under high pressure into the tubes,” he explains. “The solids end up in the centre while the water is pushed out of the tubes. The solids get returned to the tank while the water that is spurted out is water you can use.”

[Waste pumps through pipes at the Concordia Research Station in Antarctica/Peter Christou]

‘I would like an acknowledgement‘

The research station can now use that water to flush toilets, take showers and wash dishes. According to Christou, the water is potable if it goes through disinfection, i.e., chlorination.

“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve improved the environmental standard of Antarctica. But it’s hard coming back to Canada because we have had very little coverage,” he notes.

Christou said his technology got raves in French media and he spent much of his time while in Antarctica in January fielding interviews.

“I’m not asking for an award or endorsement, but we’ve had nothing here. I’ve contacted a few MLAs but maybe they are busy,” he said. “I would like an acknowledgement… we’ve done something very special here.”

Christou says with the downturn in Alberta’s economy due to falling oil prices, stories like his should be a boon to the new provincial NDP government and for Canada as well.

“We could be leading the way in providing simple water filtration technology all over the world.”

Clean water is scarce or hard to come by in many areas of the world.

Christou says legislation in Canada lags in allowing for his filtered water to be used for drinking.

“We can generate water of higher quality than most of the drinking water you’re getting,” he said.

Experience with Inuit

Christou’s enthusiasm for water treatment was cemented in his time at the military, working with Inuit communities.

“One of my first jobs, it was 2004/2005, was in Pangnirtung, this hamlet on Baffin Island,” he explains. “I got to train the guy who would become the first Inuit person to be a certified waste treatment technician.”

“It was life transforming.”

Doing so much work in cold weather helped Christou figure out how to create a cheap, simple and effective sewage and water treatment system.

“The more gadgets you put on a project in the North, the more things can go wrong.”

Christou is now seeking investors or one big angel investor to expand the company.

“We are making a difference. And this is big. They always talk about re-branding the province, that we are not just oil, so here is an opportunity.”

Christou is still waiting for someone from the province to contact him and perhaps even offer help to push his technology out into the wider market.

“This is a huge green technology success story.”