Waste to Fuel: Problems and Solutions By Connor Wright 7 th grade, Tamarac Middle School RPI EcoEd Middle School Research Report Spring 2012

Algae Covered Pond From Nitrates

Introduction History of biogas:  Biogas was used to heat bath water in Assyria in the 10 th century and in Persia in the 16 th century  In 1895 In England, Biogas was retrieved from a designed sewage treatment plant and used to light street lamps  Biogas is used on many farms because there is a great supply of animal waste there

Opening Story In Nebraska there is a farmer named Danny Kluthe. He is a Hog Farmer. He runs his farm from his hogs waist! You may be wondering how this happens but its quite simple. He has a good size anaerobic digester. This digester breaks the waste down in to the greenhouse gas methane. Kluthe said “that CAT engine purrs on that methane.” This is the story that inspired me to do this essay.

This is Kluthe walking across his digester. The process of anaerobic digestion takes about 2 months.

Introduction Stakeholders:  Farmers/factory farms  Environment  People  Electric Corporations

Introduction In my research I found how animal waste pollutes water supplies. Instead of letting the waste pollute you can use it as an energy source. If you use an anaerobic digester It creates methane which can be used as heat and energy sources. I also found how it contributes to global warming. The methane gets into the atmosphere and stays in it for7-15years. During that period it heats the atmosphere which contributes to global warming

Sources College ArticleNews Article Scholarly Source I would also like to thank my 7 other sites and sources

Section 1: Problems Overview of Problems:  Nitrates from waste are released into the water supply  Methane from the waste is released into the atmosphere and contributes to global warming.  Waste Build Up  Need for Fossil Fuels

Section 1: Problems Problem 1: Released Nitrates Animal waste holds nitrates. When animal waste sits there, those nitrates are released into the air. Once they are released into the air they then reach our water supplies. That triggers the growth of algae. It grows twice as fast and sucks all of the oxygen out of the water. That oxygen is needed to help underwater plants grow. If those plants die the fish then have nothing to eat. Now that the fish have dies the animals have no fish to eat. Then the animals die. If the animals die then the humans have nothing to eat and we die. That could be the outcome if we don’t try to fix this problem.

Section 1: Problems Problem 2: Released Methane The waste also carries a greenhouse gas called methane. That can also get into the air. Once there, up to the atmosphere it goes. It stays in the atmosphere for times from 7-15 years! The methane heats the atmosphere which then contributes to global warming.

Section 1: Problems Problem 3: Waste Build Up Yes waste is polluting water supplies, and yes its contributing to global warming but your also left with a pile of poop! Some farms have so much and don’t know what to do with it that they dig holes and form waste lagoons. Those are also known as pools of waste. Waste has a distinct odor and that is a concern to the people in the surrounding areas who personally don’t like the smell.

Waste Lagoon

Section 1: Problems Problem 4: Need for Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are used daily. We use gas in our cars as well as oil. Another fossil fuel is coal. We go intercontinental to get these fuels when we have a lifetime supply of it. Once gone through an anaerobic digester that waste can be used in many different ways.

Section 2: Solutions Overview of solutions: A solution to all of these problems would be the use of anaerobic digestion which is a series of events that break down the waste to create methane. Methane is a green house gas. It is a good source of energy and heat. Provinces in India and China are completely off the grid and are by force, so in order to get energy they make it from their animals and their own waste. Water cleaning services take billions from countries budgets so this is a good plan to save some money.

This process takes about 2 months to complete.

Industrial size House Hold Size

Section 2: Solutions Solution 2: After anaerobic digestion the waste then is biogas which can be used for three main things, the first being gas burner/Boiler. That would be used to heat homes. Another use for the biogas would be vehicle transportation. Gas is up to about 4 dollars a gallon. That’s Outrageous! Well people use the bathroom every day so we have a unlimited supply of waste. The cost of biofuel would be very low and maybe even free. It can also be used as a power source. An alternative to electricity. The last use of the biogas would be turbine/generator fuel. This would be a big solution to a couple environmental issues.

Cow Waste

Closing Closing points: Animal waste is causing many environmental issues. It is contributing to global warming from the methane it releases. It pollutes water supplies from the nitrates it emits. It causes smell and displeasure to surrounding people. The most common solution to this would be using anaerobic digestion. By using anaerobic digestion we are turning that waste into methane. That methane can then be used for heating, vehicle fuel, and/or turbine or generator fuel and electricity.