Not for the Faint of Heart.

This post is about poo.

Just thought I'd get that out there before you keep reading.

Because you see, people poo here at McMurdo, and we have to do something with their droppings.

Which is why the Wastewater Treatment Center exists. And yesterday, I got to tour it! Sounds gross, but it was actually really interesting to learn about the process...of processing...what our body processes. :)

I'm sure you're dying to know about processed poo (and other such nastiness), so I'll explain it. The waste (everything from toilet water to galley water to shower water) comes in and is ground up before it goes through a filter. After passing through a filter, it goes into the Aeration Tank, where it literally gets eaten by amoebas and other tiny bacteria-eating parasites.

After all the "bad stuff" is eaten by the amoebas, the solid waste settles on the bottom of what's called the Clarifier, and the water runs out of the Clarifier to get disinfected by UV light.



Yes, I did ask if I could use this machine to work on my tan.


After it goes tanning, the water just goes right back out into the ocean! The solid waste, however, still has a ways to go. After the waste is separated from the water, it goes into the Digester, which aerates the waste further and separates more moisture from the solids.

After it goes through the Digester, the waste moves on to the Belt Filter Press, where it gets pressed to squish out all of the leftover moisture. The leftovers are packed away in boxes so the vessel can carry them back to Port Hueneme where they meet their tragic fate: death by incineration.

Belt Filter Press

Box o' Poo

So....that's how poo gets processed down here. I thought it was interesting, albeit a tiny bit disgusting. :)

Peace, Love &....well, Poo!