Everyone does it, and now there are more uses for it other than funny Snapchat pictures you send to gross out your friends. Wait, you don’t do that?–I mean, I don’t either, I’ve just heard of it. It’s a crappy topic of conversation at dinner, and sometimes having to talk about it downright stinks. However, behind that, poop is power! It’s a type of biomass.
What is that, you ask? It is a biological material that comes from living, or recently living organisms. Typically the term is used when discussing energy derived from plants, but it doesn’t always have to be from greenery. The most common form of this type of biofuel energy that we all know is burning wood. Other forms of biomass fuels can come from wheat stalks, corn (another very common type) or sugar cane. Cooking oil is another widely known form. These types of fuels are considered renewable resources, which is why they are constantly being advocated for in place of what we currently use. Biomass materials also take carbon out of the air and release only the same amount of carbon when burned.
The Power Of Poop As Fuel
Poop, along with rotting plants, is specifically considered a biogas. We all know that our poop has methane and carbon dioxide gases in it. These gasses are collected from burning the poop in an airtight container and extracting the gas, a process called gasification. This method produces energy.
Who Uses The Ecological Power Of Poop?
Farmers in Vermont have been using the power of poop for many years. This process begins with the farmers throwing anaerobic bacteria onto the cow poop. The bacteria eat away at the waste and then produce methane themselves. These farms often produce excess amounts, so they send their leftovers to nearby homes in the area, thereby giving them a more ecological form of power.
Energy doesn’t just come from animal poop. Humans can also produce it. Researchers in China have made a special toilet that takes human waste and produces hydrogen energy for use in the home. Though it cannot yet fuel an entire home, it can be used up to 40 times a day creating more and more energy to assist in sustaining your home. Another invention out of Singapore, also a no-mix, vacuum toilet, separates liquid and solid wastes and converts the former into energy and the latter into fertilizer.
This type of biofuel doesn’t have to be used solely in the home, and maybe one day can sustain us in a greater capacity. It sounds gross, and I definitely wouldn’t want the job of the person who has the messy job of handling poop all day, but it’s our duty to find alternatives to the nonrenewable resources we are currently using up. We no longer have to waste our waste, because poop is power!
Nature does the most amazing things for nature. Get natural with Atmoph:
The Ecological Power of Poop
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