Researchers Test Human Stool for Fuel, Next Chicken Stool

 


Several researchers from Ben-Gurion University set up toilets for research. This study focused on the contents of toilets -- yes, their feces -- and the potential that comes with examining them. Simply put, scientists want to see if they can turn human waste into fuel.

After the toilet was installed, some people used it every day, putting their feces in a bag.


"We call them 'poop volunteers,'" said Amit Gross, Chair of the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology at Ben-Gurion.



At the end of each day, the collected material is heated in an autoclave to kill germs. Dressed in face masks, gloves and lab coats, the researchers grinded dry dirt in a mechanical grinder. The purpose of destroying the dirt is to make it easier for researchers to work.


After the material is reduced to dark brown powder, the experiment begins. The researchers mixed the dry powder with water, divided it into small portions and then fed it into nine 50-milliliter laboratory reactors, which are designed to operate under high temperatures and pressures. They started cooking all that shit.


The Ben-Gurion researchers experimented with different cooking times and temperatures. They heat the manure which is divided into a number of parts, from those cooked at 180C, 210C to 240C. They let some of them simmer for 30 minutes, some for an hour and others for two hours. However, all groups had one thing in common: they were cooked with water but without oxygen.



This is called hydrothermal carbonization or HTC which will produce hydro charcoal (hydrochar). Hydrochar can later be pressed into briquettes so that it can be used for cooking and baking.


Furthermore, his team wants to do research on poultry droppings one day. They wanted to roast a bird on hydro charcoal made from its own droppings and eat it.


Can you imagine what it would smell like? According to the research, when burned, hydrochar does not produce any odor, instead it tends to produce a pleasant aroma. "Smells like coffee," he explained.


Interestingly, according to the team's calculations, the world's poultry manure could replace about 10% of the coal used in electricity production, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels. In addition, the liquid can be channeled into agricultural fields and is completely pathogen free. Thus launched Pop Science.

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