NickTarasewicz

ANewUseforWaste

Poop.Asaspeciesweallexcretewasteandgenerallyholdthesameviewsaboutfeces:get
itoutofmeandoutofmysight.Butwhatifwecanharnessthisnaturalbodilyproductand
turnourwasteintoagreenandrenewableresource?

Currentfecalwastemanagementconsistsofshootingsewagesludgethroughpipestoa
processingplant,whereitisdriedintoabiosolidandsubsequentlyhauledawaytobeburied
inalandfill.ThemostrecentU.S.GeologicalSurveyfindsthatwastewatertreatmentplants
generateabout7milliondrytonsofbiosolidperyear.Theproblemwiththisapproachis
twofold.First,landfillspaceisbecomingverylimited.Second,thesemanagementprocesses
areexpensive,energyintensive,andnonrenewable.

Believeitornot,fecescontainspecificpropertiesthatmakeitaplausiblerenewableenergy
resource.Humanfecesisamixtureof75%water,withtheremaining25%beingcomprisedof
undigestednutrients,fat,inorganicmatter,protein,andmostimportantly,bacteria.

CharlesD.Fulhage,aprofessorattheUniversityofMissouriintheDepartmentofAgricultural
Engineering,hasfoundthatfecesbacteriacanbetheusedinaprocessknownasanaerobic
digestiontoreleasethebiogasescarbondioxideandmethane.Thismethanecanthenbe
turnedintoheatorelectricity.Anaerobicdigestionistheprocesswheremicroorganisms(such
asthebacteriainfecalmatter)digestthebiodegradablematerialofbiosolidsintheabsence
ofoxygen.Thewasteproductofthebacteriaitselfismethane,whichcanbeusedinenergy
production.

Theprocessofanaerobicdigestionoccursinfourmainstages.Beforethisprocesscanbegin,
oxygenmustbephysicallyremovedfromtheenvironment.Thisenvironmentisthencalledan
anaerobicenvironment,whichforcesthebacteriatogainenergybytakingelectronsfrom
thebiomatterinsteadofoxygen.

Inthefirstpartofanaerobicdigestion,thelargeorganicpolymerchainsinbiosolidsmustbe
brokendownintosmallerpolymerchainsofsugars,aminoacids,andfattyacids.This
breakdownallowsthebacteriaaccesstotheenergypotentialofthematerial.Thisis
accomplishedthroughhydrolysis,whereawatermoleculeisaddedtothepolymerand
cleavesapartthelongmolecularchain.Theacetateandhydrogenproducedinthisfirststage
canbedirectlyusedbythebacteria.

Thesecondstageofanaerobicdigestioniswhentheresultantsmallerpolymerchainsfrom
thefirststagearebrokendownintoshortfattyacidchains,calledvolatilefattyacids(VFAs).
Thisisaccomplishedthroughthefurtherdepolymerizationofthesmallerpolymerchainswith
hydrolyticenzymes,whicharecompoundsthataidinbreakingdownastructurewithwater.
ThisissimilartotakingalargeLEGOsculptureapartintoitsindividualbricks.Theresulting
compoundsthenfermentinamannerequivalenttohowmilksours.Thisstepiscalled
acidogenesis.

Inthethirdstageofanaerobicdigestion,knownasacetogenesis,thesimplemoleculesfrom

thesecondstagearefurtherdigestedbyacetogenstoproduceaceticacid,carbondioxide,
andhydrogen.

Thefourth,andfinal,stageisthebiologicalprocessofmethanogenesis.Thisiswherethe
bacteriataketheproductsofstagethreeandconvertthemintocarbondioxideandmethane.
Abasicsymbolicrepresentationforanaerobicdigestionis:C6H12O63CO2+3CH4

Throughthisprocessofbiosolidbreakdown,wecanproduceourownrenewableenergyfrom
ourownnaturalwaste.IndustryestimatesshowthatifallbiosolidsintheUnitedStateswere
convertedintobiomassenergy,theywouldproduce7to7.6millionmegawattsofpower.By
wayofcomparison,theInstituteforEnergyResearchhasfoundthat,thecurrentinstalled
capacityofwindpowerintheUnitedStatesisaround43,000megawattsperyear.

Thisconversionprocessdoesntaffectanyofthenitrogen,phosphorous,orpotassiuminthe
biomassinanylargeway.Thus,theremainingindigestiblematerialcanbeutilizedasa
fertilizerforagriculturalcropsironicallyremovingallofthewastefromthewasteprocess.

BrianStanley,aresearcheratTheAmericanSocietyforMicrobiologyhasfoundthatdueto
thedelicatenatureofbacterialbonding,methanogenesisissensitivetobothhighandlow
aciditylevels,sothebiomassusedmustbeofhealthycompositionwithapHlevelbetween
6.5and8.Solubleheavymetals(copper,zinc,nickel)gainedthroughthewastetransportation
processmaybetoxictothebacterialdigesters.Mostheavymetalscanbeprecipitatedout
withsulfidesandwillcausenoproblemsinthesludge.

Recyclingthewasteaselectricityorconvertingittobiodieselfuelratherthanputtingitina
landfillmeansthatconvertingsewageintoenergyalsoreducesgreenhousegasemissions.
Theglobalwarmingeffectofmethaneproducedbydecayinglandfillsisshorterlivedthan
carbondioxide,butisabout20timesmorepowerful.Thewasteconversionprocessavoids
theseemissionsbycapturingthegasandturningitintoaproduct,releasingthelessharmful
carbondioxideinstead.

Anaerobicdigestionhasamethaneenergyoutputgreaterthan90%,buttheentireprocedure
takes10to15daystotalinorderforthemicroorganismstoestablishthemselvesandbefully
effective.Awayaroundthislengthytimeperiodistouseaprocesscalledseedingto
introducefullydevelopedbacteriumintonewbiosolidstojumpstartthereaction.Thisis
accomplishedinoneoftwoways:bacteriaculturesaredriedintopowderformor
unprocessedbiosolidsareobtainedfromawastewatertreatmentplantandintroducedtothe
process.

Despiteallofitsbenefits,thisanaerobicconversionprocesshasnotyettakenholdinsociety.
Putsimply,theneededmodificationstosewagetreatmentplantsandpowergeneratorsarent
cheap,soaslongascompanieshavefossilfuelsreserves,werestuckwithdumpingour
poopintotheground.

Havenofear,thepassingoftimeyieldsmorescientificadvancementsoncethisprocesscan
bemademoreeconomicallyefficient,itwillrevolutionizethepowerindustry.Sonexttime
youresittingontheporcelainthrone,takeamomenttoconsidertheimmensepowerbeing
producedbyyourbody,apowerthatwillhopefullysoonfueltheworld.