1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Television show on "Dung"...

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by tnthub, Jul 1, 2008.

  1. tnthub

    tnthub Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2006
    519
    8
    0
    Location:
    Brunswick, Maine
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Last night my wife and I watched a show on "dung" which began with fossilized dung from which DNA was being extracted to show human lineage and went through the years to modern man to where some countries use cow pies to provide fuel for stoves and even a gentleman who uses dung to build batteries which can last for over a month to power radios and television sets.

    A comment was made during the croadcast that on paper it is possible for waste products from humans to provide enough energy to supply between 10-20 percent of our total energy consumption.

    As personally distasteful as it may be to many of us, would it not make sense to investigate the benefits and risks associated with this type of power generation development in conjunction with other potential fuel sources? It would seem to me that if we could utilize that which is clearly waste when it comes out by turning it into a fuel source we could truly embrace the concept of renewable energy and reduce a major potential health problem at the same time.
     
    #1 tnthub, Jul 1, 2008
  2. bac

    bac Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2008
    863
    52
    0
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I also saw this ... very interesting.

    It does seem like a great idea; however, I'm glad that my TV is not equipped with smell-o-vision. There was a LOT of brown going on - everywhere.

    ... Brad
     
    #2 bac, Jul 1, 2008
  3. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,073
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Are you sure you weren't watching CSPAN?

    Tom
     
    #3 qbee42, Jul 1, 2008
  4. bac

    bac Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2008
    863
    52
    0
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Nicely done, Tom!
    :lol:

    ... Brad
     
    #4 bac, Jul 1, 2008
  5. chogan2

    chogan2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2008
    1,066
    756
    0
    Location:
    Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Methane-generating digesters work for human waste as well as for animal waste. The 20% figure is, I think, ludicrously incorrect for the US, but might well be true for less-developed nations. Here's a product that is being marketed successfully in India, where this is both an energy issue and a sanitation issue:

    Turning human waste into energy - Feb. 27, 2008


    Really, it's no different from a septic tank, other than the fact that you optimize for generation of methane.
     
    #5 chogan2, Jul 1, 2008
  6. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,073
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Couldn't we just burn it for our cooking fires? :rolleyes:

    Tom
     
    #6 qbee42, Jul 1, 2008
  7. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2005
    10,339
    14
    0
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Don't know about those figures for human waste, but we sure waste a lot of animal.....presents. Those gifts could be recycled to all sorts of uses. Methane for one. I saw a bit on a farm that recycles everything the cow no longer needs. Milk and cheese production. Also captured methane and the farmer even created his own machine to manufacture poop pots for plants.
     
    #7 Godiva, Jul 1, 2008
  8. priusenvy

    priusenvy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2004
    1,765
    14
    0
    Location:
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    I'm currently perfecting a method of turning an abundant US resource, previously considered a waste product, into biodiesel fuel. I predict I will be able to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil within five years.

    The abundant resource? Fat sucked from the hips, thighs, and waistlines of obese Americans during liposuction procedures.
     
    #8 priusenvy, Jul 1, 2008
  9. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2005
    10,339
    14
    0
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    LOL! I read that article too.
     
    #9 Godiva, Jul 1, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)