Hog and pig poop is disgusting and there are tens of millions of these curly tailed animals in farms across the U.S. Pig manure has a high nitrogen content which makes for poor fertilizer, so the manure if commonly pumped into giant open pools where it releases tons of methane into the air. Yuck.
Thankfully, farmer Loyd Bryant, from Yadkinville North Carolina, has come up with a solution. Mr. Bryant used to be the guy who pumped the poop, now Mr. Bryant is the guy who runs a power plant.
Mr. Bryant built a power plant with off the self parts on this 154 acre farm. The power plant, that is actually more like a waste processing plant, uses bacteria to digest the poop and then the plant burns the methane to make electricity. Additionally, Mr. Bryant’s plant converts the ammonia into forms of nitrogen that can be used as a fertilizer.
The project cost $1.2 million to build with financing secured from both Google and Duke University. Duke University claims that Mr. Bryant’s system is one of the cleanest in existence, and it solves all of the environmental problems associated with animal waste (namely, methane, ammonia, and disposal of said waste.)
In the three way partnership everyone wins. Mr. Bryant saves money on electricity and gets a cleaner farming environment. The 65-kilowatt turbine generates enough electricity to power the plant system and five of Bryant’s nine hog barns. Meanwhile, Google and Duke earn carbon offset credits.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the number of waste to energy systems in the U.S. grows every year – last year 162 systems on U.S. farms were in action using poop as a renewable source of energy. Such systems are also being touted as a way to dispose of human sewage in developing areas like Africa, providing power for an ever-growing population that lacks proper infrastructure.
The EPA estimates that if 8,200 eligible dairy and hog farms nationwide used systems like Mr. Bryant’s these farms could generate enough electricity to power 980,000 homes for one year. The EPA predicts that this would create the equivalent of removing 6.7 million cars from America’s roads by reducing methane emissions and avoiding power plant carbon dioxide emissions.
Source: sfgate.com
Andrew Meggison was born in the state of Maine and educated in Massachusetts. Andrew earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and International Relations from Clark University and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. Being an Eagle Scout, Andrew has a passion for all things environmental. In his free time Andrew enjoys writing, exploring the great outdoors, a good film, and a creative cocktail. You can follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewMeggison
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About Andrew Meggison
I remember when Discover Magazine had an article about a firm using thermal depolymerization to turn chicken offal, or pig sh**, into diesel and have just fertilizer and water as a byproduct. And they were going to do it for less than oil cost, and it was going to 85% efficient, and it would nearly eliminate the need for the US to import any oil whatsoever.
Ahhh… The follies of youth…
http://discovermagazine.com/2003/may/featoil
Gobar Gas! You Google ! You See ! In countries less affluent, less arrogant, less wasteful, less slovenly, less prone to “Whining” about high priced gasoline, folks do this as a matter of course ! Canada has many farmers making methane for fuel, for heat and power to the farm, power to the grid, the slurry to fertiliser ! Honda has a home heating unit that burns methane, yields heat for the home, and power to the grid, and the home – these are in common use in Germany – Oslo, capital city of Norway has public buses running on City sewage by-product, methane to keep fares down. Sweden makes the engines does same! Anaerobic digestion not new, not secret, not hard, not messy, not stinky – in fact reduces odours, works pretty much automatically.
Soon in America, the ‘Crappier ‘ the toilet that takes 16 gallons of drinking water each use to be replaced with a better system. Sweden has dry composting units now, saves water, saves rivers, lakes sea shores from contamination, and makes very good top soil building fertiliser, even the urine is collected, treated, for this purpose.
Soon in America, thorium fuelled safe reactors for cheap electricity production from China via Bill Gates and his efforts there. We will have power, but less and very expensive gasoline, and will seek out tanks of compressed methane to fuel our cars and trucks for cheap ! Europe already 40% more efficient with diesels, and seek Diesel/electric hybrids! Prius not far from a Diesel/electric model now. Will Americans “Buy Into” this? Will they have a choice? Gasoline prices rising exponentially despite small variations for years now!
Yes, I have been researching a cost effective way to do these things. Many people I know are also interested in making their resources go further and cleaner. It takes many steps to get away from generations of traininga population to just throw away everything. We, in the US, will adapt as we see our neighbors successfully integrate these basic systems into their lives. I had a diesel vehicle for nearly 10 years, it was a reliable workhorse. I couldn’t find a replacement. I am looking forward to purchasing a diesel again.