The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste Into Wealth and Health

The average person produces about four hundred pounds of excrement a year, and with over seven billion people on the planet, this waste has become a significant environmental concern. Lina Zeldovich's book "Poop: A Natural History of the Unseen World" explores the potential of recycling human waste as a sustainable energy source, organic fertilizer, and medicinal therapy. She profiles pioneers of poop upcycling and shows how hygienic waste repurposing can help battle climate change, reduce acid rain, and eliminate toxic algal blooms. Zeldovich implores us to use our innate organic power for the greater good.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 19 November 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

The average person produces about four hundred pounds of excrement a year. More than seven billion people live on this planet. Holy crap!Due to the diseases it spreads,we have learned to distance ourselves from our waste,but the long line of engineering marvels weve created to do so—from Roman sewage systems and medieval latrines to the immense,computerized treatment plants we use today—has also done considerable damage to the earths ecology. Now scientists tell us: weve been wasting our waste. When recycled correctly,this resource,cheap and widely available,can be converted into a sustainable energy source,act as an organic fertilizer,provide effective medicinal therapy for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection,and much more.In clear and engaging prose that draws on her extensive research and interviews,Lina Zeldovich documents the massive redistribution of nutrients and sanitation inequities across the globe. She profiles the pioneers of poop upcycling,from startups in African villages to innovators in American cities that convert sewage into fertilizer,biogas,crude oil,and even life-saving medicine. She breaks taboos surrounding sewage disposal and shows how hygienic waste repurposing can help battle climate change,reduce acid rain,and eliminate toxic algal blooms. Ultimately,she implores us to use our innate organic power for the greater good. Dont just sit there and let it go to waste.

Weight: 500g
Dimension: 160 x 236 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226615578