Machine Turns Poop, Garbage Into Fuel

India (TGW) - Sintex Industries, a plastics and textiles manufacturer in Gujarat, India, has developed a machine that turns human waste, cow waste, or kitchen garbage into fuel that can be used for cooking or generating electricity.

The biogas digester uses bacteria to break down waste into sludge. The bacteria produce methane during this process, which is captured and stored.

The breakdown of the waste happens naturally. Sintex just captures it.

A one-cubic-meter digester, primed with cow dung to provide bacteria, can convert the waste generated by a four-person family into enough gas to cook all its meals and provide sludge for fertilizer. A model this size costs about $425 but will pay for itself in energy savings in less than two years.

Of course, that is still a lot for most Indians, but the government has agreed to subsidize about a third of the cost of these machines.

Sintex has already installed 100 to date.

Via :: Forbes