The ‘Poo Bus’ Just Hit the Road in the U.K.
No, it doesn’t smell bad.
The makers of the Bio-Bus, the first bus powered by human feces and food waste in the U.K., made sure of that before the 40-seater debuted this week.
The aptly nicknamed “poo bus" runs on sewage and food scraps that go through treatment, which removes odor-causing impurities and carbon dioxide. Propane is added in the process, and the resulting biomethane gas goes in dome-shaped tanks on the roof. The bus emits about 30 percent less carbon dioxide than a typical diesel vehicle, according to BBC.
“Gas-powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in U.K. cities, but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people leaving in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself,” said Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco, the company behind the initiative. “Using biomethane in this way not only provides a sustainable fuel, but also reduces our reliance on traditional fossil fuels.”
Up to 10,000 passengers a month are expected to use the service, which runs the 20-mile distance from Bristol—recently named Europe’s 2015 “Green Capital”—to the city of Bath.
According to GENeco, the bus can travel up to 186 miles on a full tank of biomethane, produced from the annual waste of about five people. The company built a fueling station at a Bristol plant connected to the area's food waste management and sewage facilities, where the bus can fill up on gas.
The first passengers went on board on Nov. 20.
The U.K. isn’t the first to use human waste to run public transportation. Sweden has been doing it for years, even using animal carcasses from slaughterhouses and confiscated alcohol to fuel buses. The country produces only 5.60 metric tons of carbon emissions per capita—a lot lower than the United States' 17.56 metric tons per person. But the U.K., which emits 7.86 metric tons of carbon dioxide per capita, isn't far behind.
“[The bus] is an excellent demonstration of biomethane’s unique benefits—decarbonising areas other renewables can't reach," said Charlotte Morton, chief executive of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association, adding that it "clearly shows that human poo and our waste are valuable resources.” She estimates that biomethane can replace about 10 percent of the U.K.'s domestic gas needs.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Terrifying NASA Video Shows How Carbon Emissions Are Engulfing the World
• Not Trashy: The Top 6 North American Cities Tackling Food Waste
• This U.K. Supermarket Uses Electricity Made From Its Rotten Food
• Fantasy or Reality? Elon Musk Unveils His 800-MPH ‘Hyperloop’
Original article from TakePart
