China harnesses chicken poop power

Although China suffers from many environmental problems, stagnating chicken poop isn’t one of them.  One of the largest chicken farms north of Beijing is using its rather impressive quantity of chicken excrement to generate energy.

According to Clean Technica, the Deqingyuan Chicken Farm Waste Utilization Plant will be replacing its coal plant with bio-gas made from the chicken poop which will hopefully cut down on 95,000 tons per year in CO2 emissions and noxious smells as well. 

The plant will feature an anaerobic digester to treat waste material, which will produce biogas that will then power 2 GE Jenbacher gas engines. Heat generated from the process will be used in the waste fermentation process and to warm the farm in the winter.

“The 3 million chickens create 220 tons of manure and 170 tons of waste water a day.”  Utilizing this immense source of biogas will allow the plant to provide 14,600 MWh of electricity each year not just to the farm but to others in the local area.

Chicken farms are notorious for stinking up the local surrounding.  The larger the chicken farm the stronger the smell.  At least the chicken poop can be used for something *ah hum* productive by being a source of power for the local community.

A story is told about a chicken farm that set up shop in the rural community here in the North Carolina mountains.  The local neighbors were not happy with the quality of the air that was wafting from the chicken farm and took the farmer to Court. 

The judge hearing the case, happened to be blind so he couldn’t see exactly what was happening in the courtroom that was heated by radiators at the time (and still is today.)  The attorney representing the offended neighbors(plaintiff’s), had collected a jar of the chicken “droppings” and had set it on the hot radiator during the initial part of the trial.  Another attorney who happened to have grown up with chickens around his house, (this was early in the 20th century when a chicken or two in the yard was not unheard of) was called as an expert witness. 

The plaintiff’s attorney asked the “expert” several questions.

Attorney:  Sir, are you familiar with chickens?

Witness: Yes sir, I grew up with chickens in our yard.

Attorney: So would you be familiar with the smell of chicken droppings?

Witness:  Yes sir, I would?

The attorney went over and collected the jar from the radiator and slightly unscrewed the lid.

Attorney:  Sir, can you identify the smell coming from this jar.

Witness:  Yes sir, that is the smell of chicken droppings.

Attorney: Your honor, I would like to enter this jar of chicken droppings into evidence.

Judge: Admitted.

The attorney then totally unscrewed the lid from the jar and set it on the desk in front of the judge.  The judge fell over backwards from the smell.  Once they collected the judge off the floor, opened the windows and disposed of the “evidence” in the nearest toilet, the plaintiff’s won their case.  The chicken farmer had to move his farm or get rid of his chickens.

At least the Chinese are making good use of their chicken droppings.

Photo via darynbarry

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