Poo Power – Generating Electricity from Waste

Methane gas is produced naturally in the manure of cattle and Pennsylvania’s Blair and Bedford Counties will soon be using manure from 6800 cows to generate 2.5 megawatts of electricity each day. They will harness their manure’s methane using a new regional digester, a facility that houses and processes manure, storing the methane that’s produced. This digester facility will not only help the Clover Creek Watershed manage its nitrate problems; it will also help manage the 380,000 gallons of liquid manure generated every day in the area, and create a bedding or soil product available for resale. Finding more opportunities like this one throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is on EPA’s Mid-Atlantic region’s todo list.

Would you purchase fertilizer from a process like this or one that came from a more traditional process?

Here’s another example from Rockwell, PA where farmers are saving the environment and money with these new ideas.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.