Question: What is the future of biogas and what is your opinion on it

Asked by ron98 to DJ, Kyler, Mia, Mick, Peter on 29 Aug 2013.

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  1. Photo: Peter PerryPeter Perry
    answered on 29 Aug 2013:

    I think it is a great way forward. Use our waste (which mostly goes into land-fill and causes problems for future generations) to generate clean energy.

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  2. Photo: David JefferyDavid Jeffery
    answered on 29 Aug 2013:

    I’d suggest the future of it is that production will increase to help meet our energy demands. It’s a useful way of obtaining energy so rather than let the gas disappear let’s use it.

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  3. Photo: Mia CobbMia Cobb
    answered on 29 Aug 2013:

    @ron98: I’m SO PLEASED you ask this! 🙂 🙂 🙂 The info below is from a post I wrote for my blog, Do You Believe in Dog?

    Dog poo is turning green! It’s turning green and it’s thanks to the power of science. Or perhaps it’s the science of power? It’s easy to get confused.

    The important bit is that a Melbourne-based entrepreneur, Duncan Chew, received funding in 2012 from the Inspiring Australia strategy for his idea to turn dog waste into energy to light up parks around Australia. Titled Poo Power!, his project is using science to help our communities live more sustainably.

    How big is this issue?
    In Australia, we have one of the highest incidences of pet ownership in the world with over 60% of households owning a pet. The average dog produces 0.34 kilograms (that’s 0.75 lb) of faeces per day.

    Do the maths, and that’s around 1.4 tonnes of dog poo needing to be disposed of DAILY in Australia, which adds up to a colossal 490,000 tonnes each year!

    490 MILLION KG!

    The USA have more than 20 times the number of dogs as Australia. Just saying.

    The issue of dog waste disposal (what I like to call Poo-llution!) is an especially important issue in areas of growing urbanisation, cities with limited park spaces and in light of declining landfill site availability.

    Using our love of dogs to brighten the future.
    The project will see a series of biogas generators turn dog waste into energy for lighting up Melbourne parks, at the same time as engaging audiences on the issue of ‘what is waste?’, and the potential opportunities posed by reassessing waste management practices. 1kg of dog poo will give you about 25-30 litres of raw biogas.

    Biogas harvesting is achieved utilising anaerobic digestion (where a bunch of microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen) to produce a renewable energy source that can be used to power lighting. Or cooking! Imagine having a coffee as your dog runs around the park, while the coffee machine was powered by your dog’s poo!

    I’m not talking crap (well, I am)…
    We know this can work. This kind of project has been implemented previously at ‘Park Spark’ in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near MIT.:

    Munich Zoo similarly harness the energy of their animals’ faecal output to help power their operations. Imagine if shelters and other kennel facilities could use this system to reduce their power consumption and expenses? That would be awesome!

    Can’t get enough of green dog poo?
    Follow Poo Power! here: http://poopower.com.au/

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