Meet Bio-Bug, a VW Beetle That Runs on Human Waste
August 5, 2010, 3:15 PM
By RICHARD S. CHANG
nytimes.com
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There was the tour bus that ran on vegetable oil, the Volkswagen Scirocco fueled by coffee grounds and the Formula 3 racecar powered by chocolate.
Now there’s Bio-Bug, a VW Beetle that runs on the methane gas generated at a sewage treatment plant, reports The Telegraph. Wessex Water, near Bristol, England, says that human waste from the toilets of 70 homes can power the Bio-Bug for a year.
Before you dismiss this idea, Wessex Water points out in its news release that compressed natural gas is used quite extensively in India and China. But the methane gas from Wessex Water has to be treated through a process called biogas upgrading, which involves separating carbon dioxide molecules.
GENeco, a company owned by Wessex Water, supplied the equipment to treat the gas. “If you were to drive the car you wouldn’t know it was powered by biogas, as it performs just like any conventional car,” said Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco, in the release.
Full article:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/meet-bio-bug-a-vw-beetle-that-runs-on-human-waste/
August 5, 2010, 3:15 PM
By RICHARD S. CHANG
nytimes.com
There was the tour bus that ran on vegetable oil, the Volkswagen Scirocco fueled by coffee grounds and the Formula 3 racecar powered by chocolate.
Now there’s Bio-Bug, a VW Beetle that runs on the methane gas generated at a sewage treatment plant, reports The Telegraph. Wessex Water, near Bristol, England, says that human waste from the toilets of 70 homes can power the Bio-Bug for a year.
Before you dismiss this idea, Wessex Water points out in its news release that compressed natural gas is used quite extensively in India and China. But the methane gas from Wessex Water has to be treated through a process called biogas upgrading, which involves separating carbon dioxide molecules.
GENeco, a company owned by Wessex Water, supplied the equipment to treat the gas. “If you were to drive the car you wouldn’t know it was powered by biogas, as it performs just like any conventional car,” said Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco, in the release.
Full article:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/meet-bio-bug-a-vw-beetle-that-runs-on-human-waste/
