MAKE: Blog: The power of poo

The power of poo

Brothers Kevin and Daryl Maas of Washington State are producing electricity from cow manure.

We use a proven, commercialized technology called a manure digester to harvest methane gas from manure. We burn the methane to create electricity, while sending the processed manure back to the farmers as an organic fertilizer now free of pathogens and odor.

What a great source of energy - as long as people want to drink milk and eat hamburgers, there will be cows. And poo. Puget Sound Energy will be buying electricity from their company, Farm Power Northwest.

Related:

Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: Tam Nguyen on May 28, 2008 at 7:15 AM

My grandfather did this about 30 or 40 years ago in the Philippines. He collected his methane under the house, but he wasn't able to finish his experiment cause the neighbors complained of the smell.

Posted by: dafoink on May 28, 2008 at 8:59 AM

Tina Turner already did this

Tina Turner already did this in 1985 but with pig poo:

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/30658/Mad-Max-Beyond-Thunderdome/overview

Posted by: Peter McKellar on May 28, 2008 at 5:57 PM

Are there any links to some instructables, suppliers etc?

Posted by: Peter McKellar on May 28, 2008 at 6:00 PM

Please ignore previous comment. Farm Power is the link (I first read it as the power BUYER).

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