Your crap may be worth cash: biogas digester converts human waste to energy

It may not conjure the most pleasing imagery, but a company in India is developing technology that converts human waste, cow dung, or unused or rotten food into electricity. Now that’s a renewable energy source.

Sintex Industries is in the plastics and textiles business and by developing this green technology it hopes to address two of India’s chief concerns: sanitation and access to energy, according to Fortune.

The product, aptly called a biogas digester, works by introducing bacteria into the sludge and garbage, inside a contained environment. As the bacteria begins to break down materials, it emits a supply of methane gas that is then piped into another container and stored for later use. Green energy at its best.

Still hungry for lunch?

It gets better. Not only is there a virtually unlimited fuel source in the form of crap and garbage, but the amount of energy produced is nothing to laugh at. A biogas digester with one cubic meter of space sells for about $425 and is capable of transforming “the waste generated by a four-person family into enough gas to cook all its meals and provide sludge for fertilizer”.

However, that $425 price tag likely doesn’t include installation and keeping the biogas digester tightly sealed will be a key part of making it a suitable household appliance, even if it is a great source of green energy.

India currently faces challenges in some areas where citizens use railroads and other open areas to take care of their biological needs. Biogas digesters could help address the problem while also providing a valuable green energy resource.

So far the biogas digester hasn’t snagged popular opinion, Sintex has only installed about 100 units. But, subsidies from the Indian government and plans to heavily increase investment and production may shift adoption up a gear.

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