New York City Using Wastewater for Energy

Julie Slavet
Feb 16, 2011

Check this out!

From Engadget:

New York City produces about 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater daily, yielding 1,200 tons of biosolids that can be harvested to procure methane — already accounting for 20 percent of the city’s energy — and butanol, a clean gasoline alternative. The plan, which also includes wind and solar projects, aims to use gas, converted by large digesters, to “power wastewater operations, meet on-site heat and electricity needs, and, where feasible, sell excess energy to the market.” As the DEP points out, the plan isn’t far fetched — we’ve seen a couple of solutions for turning human excrement into usable energy, and a project already under way in Greenpoint is estimated to procure enough methane over the next year to heat 2,500 homes.

Way to go, New York City!

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