Pacific Northwest Labs is working on this. Coming to a toilet near you.
http://www.pnnl.gov/news/release.aspx?id=4317
http://www.pnnl.gov/news/release.aspx?id=4317
Poo power progresses
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This is more interesting that I expected compared to past "poo power" type headlines. It sounds like a fairly generic biomass-to-liquid process, so if it works with septic waste, it could potentially also work with other forms of biomass.
The volume they're talking about is relatively small - 30 million barrels per year is equivalent to less than 2 days of the US oil demand, but that's not strictly a problem, just the upper limit.
The volume they're talking about is relatively small - 30 million barrels per year is equivalent to less than 2 days of the US oil demand, but that's not strictly a problem, just the upper limit.
There's a lot of power in poo. I toured a sewage plant when I lived in Missoula and they would floculate the poo and put in an anaerobic tank to heat the buildings with the methane. The they would send the remnants over the wall to eco compost.
Looks like the city of Vancouver is going to give this a trial run. I hope to check it out some day.
http://www.geekwire.com/2016/poop-power-vancouver-b-c-will-test-biofuel-made-sewage/
http://www.geekwire.com/2016/poop-power-vancouver-b-c-will-test-biofuel-made-sewage/
King County Solid Waste runs a 1mW fuel cell at its Renton processing plant off of methane gathered by 4 huge anaerobic digesters filled with sewer sludge.
Nice article and description of the tech. They argue costs will be low due to simple oil/water separation, but do not provide figures. The feedstock is free.
The other thing I liked: recovery of the phosphate, a currently critical and non-renewable element, reducing our consumption of fossil....poo.
The other thing I liked: recovery of the phosphate, a currently critical and non-renewable element, reducing our consumption of fossil....poo.
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On a similar note, DH just toured the False Creek District Energy plant in Vancouver which is a sewage source heat pump. Pretty cool. He says "Takes a minimum of 110 l/s of sewage at 25° and cools it by 5°.... that supplies nearly 5000 apartment units + science world with hot water...Not sure what their hydro consumption is. Their product is fractionally cheaper than hydro per kwh but more expensive than natural gas." Let's see if I can figure out how to add pics on iPad...
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I installed a heat exchanger system in a professional photo lab that preheated incoming water going to the processors with the outgoing heated rinse water. It was so successful that it paid for itself in less than 6 months and gave the lab a large competitive edge. Although their order volume went up a magnitude, their gas bill stayed the same.
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