ankind has been turning beer into urine for centuries. Leave it to science to find a way to reverse that process.

人类数百年来一直在将啤酒转化为尿液。现在交给科学，让其找到方法逆转这一过程。

Scientists at Belgium's University of Ghent say they've created a machine that turns urine into potable water, and fertilizer, using solar energy. The scientists have since crafted small batches¹ of Belgian ale from the recycled water.

比利时根特大学的科学家们近日宣布，他们已经制造出一种机器，可以利用太阳能将尿液转化为饮用水和肥料。这些科学家们已经利用循环水制作出了少量的比利时啤酒。

"We call it from sewer² to brewer,”Sebastiaan Derese, one of the researchers from the University of Ghent, told Reuters. "We're able to recover fertiliser and drinking water from urine using just a simple process and solar energy."

"我们叫它从尿水到酒水”，根特大学一名名叫塞巴斯蒂安·德雷瑟的研究员接受路透社采访时表示，"只要使用一个很简单的加工过程，再加上太阳能，我们就能从尿液中重新得到肥料和饮用水。”

The machine collects urine in a big tank which is then heated in a solar-powered boiler³. As the heated water evaporates it passes through a membrane⁴, which separates the H2O from nutrients⁵ like phosphorous and nitrogen. Those nutrients can then be used to enrich fertilizers for plants. The water is then diverted to a separate tank.

该机器将尿液收集在一个大水槽里，然后在一个太阳能锅炉里加热。随着加热，水开始蒸发，然后通过一层薄膜将水和像磷，氮这样的营养成分分开。这些营养成分可以用来丰富植物的肥料。最后再将水转移到另一个单独的水槽中。

Since the system requires no electricity, the researchers hope it can be used to provide clean drinking water for people in developing countries. According to Derese, the process could help organize agriculture in a more sustainable way throughout many rural communities more susceptible⁶ to drought.

由于该系统不需要电力，研究人员们希望它可以用来为发展中国家的人们提供干净的饮用水。据德雷瑟表示，这个过程可以帮助许多易受干旱影响的农村地区以更可持续的方式组织农业。

But the system can also be used for commercial purposes to quickly purify water where there are a lot of people—who have to go to the bathroom a lot—like sports stadiums, shopping malls and airports.

但这一系统也可以用于商业目的，快速净化人多的地方。比如例如体育馆，商场以及机场中的水，在这些场所人们使用卫生间的次数很多。

So the next time you take a swig of beer and think to yourself, "this tastes like warm p---,” you might just be providing an accurate flavor profile.

所以下次当你大口痛饮啤酒时，想一想"这味道像暖和的... ”你可能描述的是正确的味道。