It’s no news that farm waste can be extensively used for bio-gas and manure. But the question is- how effectively can it be used and to what magnitude? Dairy man David Albers has a vision of using biogas as a primary source of energy for over a 100 homes daily. The Vintage Dairy Biogas Project, his brainchild involves an area equivalent to five football fields dug 33 feet deep. The “lake” is filled with liquefied bovine excreta which are processed to utilize it as a renewable and environmentally sustainable source of gas.
Environmentalists claim that the methane emitted from decomposing animal waste comprises a large fraction of the world’s greenhouse emissions. The cow dung is collected from farms and placed in a large pit where it is liquefied. it is then transferred to a covered lagoon after sieving it of solid material. The liquid is then converted to gas which is stripped of its hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide content giving in nearly pure methane. The methane is then pumped into pipelines and sent off to power plants from where it is distributed all over.
Bio-gas is proving to be an economical and environment friendly source of energy. The concept has huge scope for exploitation if genuine efforts are made in that direction. Human sewage may also prove to be a viable source of energy in the future.
Via: Tree Hugger
