Sewage Used to Power Homes

A pilot biogas conversion power plant is being built in Manchester, England, with the hopes that it will be generating power for 5,000 homes in the next two years. If the project is successful, other plants are planned in the hope that sewage gas will help provide energy for thousands more homes.

Sewage treatment goes on for 24 hours a day so there is always a supply of the raw materials. Sewage is broken down by microbes by the anaerobic process. The by-product of this process is methane. Most sewage plants burn this methane to produce energy however this new biogas plant will remove moisture, carbon dioxide and sulphide traces as this will produce a pure methane that is almost as clear as the methane which is derived from the North Sea. Just like the gas from the North Sea, this biogas will be odourless so an artificial gas smell is added before it is piped into residential homes.

Some people have voiced their concerns over cooking from a product made from human waste. Experts have quelled these concerns stating it is hygienic for use in the home, including through cooking. Drinking water has been through the water cycle and is safe for imbibing, and this sewage methane gas is exactly the same.

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