Transcript

Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.

Voice 2
And I’m Colin Lowther. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for
people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1
Leroy Mwasaru is 17 years old. He is attending a school in Western Kenya. Mwasaru loves it
there. But there are problems. There are too many students in the school. To provide meals for
students, the school cooks must spend many hours preparing food with wood stoves. These
stoves produce a lot of smoke. The smoke can hurt their eyes and lungs. And recently,
pulmones
Mwasaru’s school has also had another problem. The school toilets have started leaking into
filtrase
the ground. This makes the water too dirty to drink. Many people are becoming sick. But in
twenty thirteen Mwasaru found a solution. His solution solved both of these problems. Today’s
Spotlight is making energy from human waste.
desechos, residuos

Voice 2
Leroy Mwasaru’s solution was to build a human waste bioreactor. A bioreactor is a very large
container that stores human waste. It also contains millions of microorganisms. These
almacena
creatures are very small - too small even to see. They do not do very much on their own. But in
por su cuenta
a group they are very powerful. Microorganisms are able to break waste into smaller parts. But
they also release an important gas in the process: methane. Many gas stoves burn methane
liberaan
gas. The bioreactor can bring the methane into the school’s kitchen, where the cooks work.
The cooks can use methane to power their stoves. Then, the cooks do not have to breathe
respirar
smoke. Mwasaru created a clean, safe energy source for his school. And, as long as there are
fuente
students producing waste, the energy will not end! In an interview with CNN, Mwasaru said

Voice 3
“There were some people who thought it would not work - the attitude was very negative. We
created classes in the community and in the school. After that, people became
volvio
more positive.
With the gas, they do not have to spend time searching, and carrying wood. They are really
happy about that.”

Voice 1
Mwasaru’s bioreactor is an example of bioenergy. It is an alternative energy source. That is, it
is different than energy sources that people normally use, like oil orcarbon
coal. Most alternative
|
energy is also renewable, like wind or solar energy. This way of making energy depends on
natural forces that will not go away. As long as the wind blows or the sun shines, these
desaparecer mientras que sopla
renewable sources will create energy. Using human waste is also renewable. People’s bodies
will always make it. So there will always be this kind of fuel.
combustible
Voice 2
But bioenergy is different than other renewable sources. This is because it does more than just
make energy. It also gets rid of the human waste. In many countries, human waste causes
eliminar
harm.
daño
In some places there are no toilets. Or the toilets do not store waste well. This waste
gets into rivers and streams, and they become
corrientes, riachuelo polluted. People who drink this water can
volverse contaminado
meterse en
become very sick. Millions of people die every year from dirty water. But bioenergy changes
waste into something useful. It lets people USE their waste instead of polluting their
en lugar
environment.

Voice 1
Most ways of making bioenergy are very similar. Almost all of them involve
involucranparticular
microorganisms. These organisms break down solid waste like feces.
heces
Some break down foods
descomponen
that can no longer be eaten. These microorganisms produce methane and other gases. Then
people can use these gases to create energy. But bioenergy is about more than just cooking!
Some people use bioenergy to operate vehicles. Others use the gas to make electricity.

Voice 2
Another way to make bioenergy is called a Microbial Fuel Cell, or MFC. These fuel cells also
contain microorganisms, and bacteria. The bacteria eat particular chemicals. But instead of
releasing methane, they give off something even more valuable - electricity.
liberando emitir

Voice 1
One of the scientists developing this technology is Ioannis Ieropoulos. He is a professor at the
Bristol Bioenergy centre in the United Kingdom. But the fuel cells he uses are very different
than others. They do not use chemicals like other microbial fuel cells. Instead, they produce
electricity from human urine! Urine is liquid human waste. It is mostly water. But it also contains
principalmente
urea. The bacteria in Ieropoulos’ fuel cells produce electricity from urea. This also cleans the
urine. Ieropoulos told the BBC:

Voice 4
“What comes out of the MFC is cleaner than the urine that went in. Chemically it is better
balanced. People could use it as fertilizer, to help grow plants. The MFC lets us collect other
chemicals too. Some are very useful, like the chemical phosphate.”
fostato

Voice 2
In the beginning, Ieropoulos’ MFCs did not produce much electricity. But the technology is
improving. And people can make it more easily. Many people in the world do not have
mejorando
electricity. The MFCs can provide an easy way to get it. In some places, this technology is
already improving people’s lives.

Voice 1
One organization that has a plan to use Microbial Fuel Cells is Oxfam. Oxfam is an
organization that works with refugees. In many refugee camps, there is no electricity. Without
electric lights, the camps get very dark at night. And it is sometimes dangerous for refugees to
go to the toilet. Oxfam will use MFC technology to give the refugee camps electricity. With help
from Ieropoulos, they have designed special toilets with lights in them. These lights are
powered
impulsado
by the refugee’s waste. The refugees will be able see the toilets. So they will not herir
hurt
ser capaz
themselves, or be hurt by others at night. Oxfam will try out these special toilets in refugee
probar
camps in late 2016. Someday, with the electricity from more toilets, Oxfam hopes to light whole
camps.

Voice 2
Some people believe Bioenergy is the energy of the future. But others are not so sure. The
technology is still very new. Scientists still need to make it better. It requires a lot of knowledge
to make. And it costs a lot of money. But it could be a way to solve the problem of human
waste. Bioenergy could help make the world cleaner for many people. And it can produce
energy that will not harm the earth.
dañar

Voice 1
Tell us what you think! Do you think bioenergy could work where you live? How much will
people use bioenergy in the future? You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at
radio@radioenglish.net. And find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/spotlightradio.

Voice 2
The writer of this program was Dan Christmann. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices
you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for
this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the
internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Energy from Human Waste’.

Voice 1
You can also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our
free official Spotlight English app. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight
program. Goodbye.

Question:
Where do you think people will get energy in the future? Do you think bioenergy will be a main
source of energy?