Giving A Crap: UK Lauds Its First Human Poo Powered Bus
The jokes practically write themselves with this one, though in all seriousness, the UK is tickled pink (or brown) to have its first bus powered by food waste and human feces. Sounds disgusting, right? Far be it for us to argue against that one, though the upside to running on gas generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste is that it helps to improve urban air quality.
That may sound like the equivalent of someone saying their flatulence smells like roses, but in reality, these poo-powered buses produce fewer emissions than traditional diesel engines. They're also capable of traveling up to 300 kilometers (over 186 miles) on a full tank of gas generated at Bristol sewage treatment works, a plant run by GENeco, a subsidiary of Wessex Water.
"Through treating sewage and food that’s unfit for human consumption we’re able to produce enough biomethane to provide a significant supply of gas to the national gas network that’s capable of powering almost 8,500 homes as well as fueling the Bio-Bus," explains GENeco general manager Mohammed Saddiq. "Gas powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities, but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself. Using biomethane in this way not only provides a sustainable fuel, but also reduces our reliance on traditional fossil fuels."
The Bio-Bus seats 40 people and made its first trip with passengers on board today. They were visitors to the UK who were commuting from Bristol Airport to the historic city Bath -- an appropriately named destination if you're riding a poo-powered bus, don't you think?
That may sound like the equivalent of someone saying their flatulence smells like roses, but in reality, these poo-powered buses produce fewer emissions than traditional diesel engines. They're also capable of traveling up to 300 kilometers (over 186 miles) on a full tank of gas generated at Bristol sewage treatment works, a plant run by GENeco, a subsidiary of Wessex Water.
"Through treating sewage and food that’s unfit for human consumption we’re able to produce enough biomethane to provide a significant supply of gas to the national gas network that’s capable of powering almost 8,500 homes as well as fueling the Bio-Bus," explains GENeco general manager Mohammed Saddiq. "Gas powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities, but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself. Using biomethane in this way not only provides a sustainable fuel, but also reduces our reliance on traditional fossil fuels."
The Bio-Bus seats 40 people and made its first trip with passengers on board today. They were visitors to the UK who were commuting from Bristol Airport to the historic city Bath -- an appropriately named destination if you're riding a poo-powered bus, don't you think?
