I collaborate with bacteria. And I'm about to show you some stop-motion footage that I made recently where you'll see bacteria accumulating minerals from their environment over the period of an hour.
我和細菌合作 而我將要呈現的 是一些我最近拍的靜態連續影像 從這些影像中可以看到細菌 如何在一個小時內從周遭環境中 累積礦物質
So what you're seeing here is the bacteria metabolizing, and as they do so they create an electrical charge. And this attracts metals from their local environment. And these metals accumulate as minerals on the surface of the bacteria.
您現在看到的 是細菌的代謝作用 而當它們正在代謝時 會產生一股電流 這股電流會從周遭環境中 聚吸金屬 然後這些金屬慢慢累積成礦物質 貼附於細菌的表面
One of the most pervasive problems in the world today for people is inadequate access to clean drinking water. And the desalination process is one where we take out salts. We can use it for drinking and agriculture. Removing the salts from water -- particularly seawater -- through reverse osmosis is a critical technique for countries who do not have access to clean drinking water around the globe.
在當今世界,一個人們 普遍遇到的問題就是 人群中可使用清潔飲用水 的比率不足 而海水淡化的工序 可以讓我們過濾掉海水裡的鹽分。 這種水可以用來飲用或者灌溉農田。 通過反向過濾 從水中 ,特別是海水中 移除鹽分 是一個無比重要的技術。 這對那些沒有辦法獲取乾淨的飲用水的國家 更是重要。
So seawater reverse osmosis is a membrane-filtration technology. We take the water from the sea and we apply pressure. And this pressure forces the seawater through a membrane. This takes energy, producing clean water. But we're also left with a concentrated salt solution, or brine.
海水反向過濾是一種使用隔膜過濾的技術。 海水反向過濾是一種使用隔膜過濾的技術。 我們抽取海水並施以壓力, 我們抽取海水並施以壓力, 而這個壓力強迫海水通過隔膜。 而這個壓力強迫海水通過隔膜。 這是通過消耗能量來得到乾淨的水。 這是通過消耗能量來得到乾淨的水。 但我們同時也有很濃的鹽水剩下。
But the process is very expensive and it's cost-prohibitive for many countries around the globe. And also, the brine that's produced is oftentimes just pumped back out into the sea. And this is detrimental to the local ecology of the sea area that it's pumped back out into.
而且整個過程非常的昂貴, 它高昂的代價使世界上很多的國家退縮。 不僅如此,產生的濃鹽水常常被直接送回海洋中。 不僅如此,產生的濃鹽水常常被直接送回海洋中。 對當地的海洋生態有破壞性的影響, 對當地的海洋生態有破壞性的影響,
So I work in Singapore at the moment, and this is a place that's really a leading place for desalination technology. And Singapore proposes by 2060 to produce [900] million liters per day of desalinated water. But this will produce an equally massive amount of desalination brine. And this is where my collaboration with bacteria comes into play.
爲此,我現在在新加坡工作 這是現在在脫鹽科技獨領全球的地方。 這是現在在脫鹽科技獨領全球的地方。 新加坡計劃在 2060 年之前 達到每天生產9億公升的脫鹽水的目標。 達到每天生產9億公升的脫鹽水的目標。 但這同時也會生產出同樣大量的濃鹽水。 但這同時也會生產出同樣大量的濃鹽水。 而這就是我和細菌合作的開始。
So what we're doing at the moment is we're accumulating metals like calcium, potassium and magnesium from out of desalination brine. And this, in terms of magnesium and the amount of water that I just mentioned, equates to a $4.5 billion mining industry for Singapore -- a place that doesn't have any natural resources.
我們現在正在做的 便是從濃鹽水中累積像鈣、鉀和鎂的一樣的金屬。 便是從濃鹽水中累積像鈣、鉀和鎂的一樣的金屬。 便是從濃鹽水中累積像鈣、鉀和鎂的一樣的金屬。 而這……就拿鎂來說吧。 通過處理9億升的濃鹽水, 我們能生產價值45億美元的鎂。 而新加坡本身 恰是一個沒有任何自然資源的地方。
So I'd like you to image a mining industry in a way that one hasn't existed before; imagine a mining industry that doesn't mean defiling the Earth; imagine bacteria helping us do this by accumulating and precipitating and sedimenting minerals out of desalination brine. And what you can see here is the beginning of an industry in a test tube, a mining industry that is in harmony with nature.
所以我希望你們可以想像一個 前所未有的礦業; 想像一個不需要污損地球土地的礦業; 想像一個不需要污損地球土地的礦業; 想像細菌會幫我們從濃鹽水中 想像細菌會幫我們從濃鹽水中 累積、凝結以及沉澱礦物質的世界。 累積、凝結以及沉澱礦物質的世界。 而你现在可以看到的是 一個從試管中升起的行業, 一個和自然和諧共存的礦業。
Thank you.
謝謝。
(Applause)
(全場鼓掌)