1. The Living Machine Vishal Mehta Daniel Perez http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oberlin_Living_Machine2.JPG

2. The Goal  The goal of the “living machine” is to convert murky, dirty water into crystal clear water.  This mimics the natural cleansing processes that takes place in wetlands.  The concept was created by John Todd. http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/953 http://www.co.kenosha.wi.us/plandev/conservation/wetland.html

3. Making A Difference  The overall potential of this treatment process is that it removes pollutants in water.  Unlike regular treatment plants, it doesn’t use chlorine and filters out metals using natural means. http://www.livingmachines.com/

4. How It Works  First, sewage goes in an anaerobic settling tank. This is where large particles settle to the bottom of the reactor.  It then goes into a biofilter, which is made of bark and humic material. This helps to reduce odors.  Next, the sewage moves to aerobic tanks. It contains photosynthetic algae that put oxygen back in the water. http://www.hootsystems.com/systems/lahoot.html

5. Organisms Used  Bacteria are also used for producing nitrates. Managers have to add calcium for these types of bacteria to survive.  Taller plants are also used to isolate heavy metals from the environment.  Fish, snails, and clams are also used in the filtering procedure. http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/machine.html

6. Technological Obstacles  Bacteria have to be kept in specific conditions to use.  This includes temperature, food sources, and pressure.  In addition to bacteria, all other processes have to be kept in check.

7. Political / Economic Obstacles  No political or economical obstacles exist.  The cost of living machines actually much less than other waste sanitation processes by millions of dollars.

8. Negative Environmental Impacts  No negative impacts exist as long as the system is designed correctly. http://www.livingmachines.com/

9. Bibliography  http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/machi ne.html http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/machi ne.html http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/machi ne.html  http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/I nformation/LivingMachine.html http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/I nformation/LivingMachine.html http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/I nformation/LivingMachine.html  http://www.livingmachines.com/ http://www.livingmachines.com/