Human Waste as an Alternative Energy Source

To me it makes perfect sense to take advantage of this flushed out resource. We as human produce almost 2 liters of waste a day and we do not gain any rebates for electricity or other resources. I found an article online that tells you how human urine and feces can produce several things that humans use on a daily basis. Electricity being one of them.

From generators powered by urine, methane ran devices and stoves, and fertilizers, human waste can be used as a resource that we can benefit from. I think we all need to get on this and stop giving our money away to the big boys.

http://www.engineeringforchange.org/10-ways-to-put-human-waste-to-use/

UPDATED 6-18-2016

I have to update this thread as some of you have no clue as to what methane really is.

Methane gas has no odor, colorless, non toxic, and non corrosive.

 

Maybe on a town scale it might be worth it but I will not be doing anything but disposing of my waste!

 

They are making vehicles in Japan that runs off of bio fuels made directly from human waste. If that technology was hooked up to your house, all of your waste would could possible feed back into you meter in a grid tie system. Even the urine generator could save you money or charge your deep cycle batteries for night time use.

Your waste is not that at all. Everything has a purpose or use. In the states we have to pay for sewer usage. We have to pay to take a dump!!!

http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/methane_generator.html

 

As much of an unlimited source that this is, I would have to pass on it. I am not sure if the fuels produced by them would be absent of their original smell and the filling the air with human waste would probably have some weird effect on the environment that we are not yet aware of.

 

Similar to the concept behind Cow Power. Converting crap into renewable energy prevents harmful methane from reaching the atmosphere. This is important because methane from cow manure on dairy farms accounts for the majority of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. If methane digesters were installed on most California dairies, they would protect the climate about 5% of the state's total.

The good news is that nowadays methane from dairy manure can be captured and converted into energy using existing technologies. The resulting biogas can be used to create: electricity, natural gas and fuel. Electricity from methane digesters on dairy farms can be used on site (thereby reducing the farmer’s energy costs), and the surplus can be sold to a public or private utility. The electricity can replace some power from fossil-fuel plants, which account for approximately 20% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions. The biogas from methane digesters can be also refined to produce vehicle fuel, known as biomethane or “cow power.” The manure on California dairies could produce enough biomethane to power more than 100,000 vehicles. Dairy digesters can also reduce the risk of excess manure nutrients polluting waterways, including groundwater.

If California dairies have this potential, imagine applying this to survival circumstances.

 

Methane gas that is collected and burned for cooking and running generators have no odor. You can develop a waste management system from your septic tank to collect below ground, and then the gases go back up into whatever device that can use it as fuel. Again, methane gas has no odor, colorless, non toxic, and non corrosive.

 

This is very interesting. Still I don't think people will be happy about recycling there urine and poop. The question is how will everything end up smelling if we go this route. Could you just imagine if you were cooking with something fueled by human waste? I'd rather go with the idea that water can be converted into fuel.

 

I updated the original post just for you. Methane gas has no odor. It's colorless, non toxic, and non corrosive. Nature has a cycle, and everything has it's purpose. Our waste is actually fuel, and some cities have made methane stations at their local dump sites where all of the methane coming out of the ground is sent back into the grid for electricity. Everyone is flushing their waste down the tubes.

 

Do you have any proof that this is non toxic. In England people used to dump there waste and feces out of windows instead of disposing of it properly and this lead to air born diseases. The methane coming out of the ground might not be the same as the kind that can be produced from human waste. If this does work with out side effects I would be surprised. And I do know what methane is, its a component in natural gas. Still you haven't said anything about what other things can be produced from human waste if burned . For example, urine has ammonia in it which is lethal
if inhaled too long and your talking about releasing this into the atmosphere, from what I see in this picture.

 

I think everyone agrees that human waste shouldn't be thrown out the window. All manure from livestock and human waste produces methane gas. You need to do a google search and look it up. I'm not going to spoon feed you and quote everything I took the time to look up. Instead I'm going to post it here for you. Methane gas is a energy source. Doesn't matter if it's chick crap or human. It can be used as fuel in cooking or methane generators.

https://www.google.com.ph/webhp?sou...spv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=methane+gas+from+human+waste
http://www.appropedia.org/Biogas_from_human_waste
http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/methane_generator.html

Updated: I added a video so you can see it in action

 

It's a start. Using it to your advantage is the first step.

 

I think one of many reasons why it will be awhile before this will be considered a sustainable energy source because it won't be profitable. I mean, the only reason why many countries rely on coal and other mainstream energy sources is because people are investing in it. Businessmen and corporations won't invest in the R & D of anything that won't be profitable. Take Sweden's journey with their industries that turn trash into power, for example. A lot of politicians had to come in and fight off a lot of people who wanted to keep Sweden dependent on coal.

 

Considering that this is a survival forum. Having something like this on your hometead or bunker it would be ideal to have as it is free. You can collect animal feces and biodegradable waste and throw that in the tank.

 

That is a good point. Many farms do make use of alternative energy resources (from solar to soil) and this system is feasible at a smaller, more contained scale. I guess I was speaking from a different, nationwide viewpoint.

 

In Biblical days, using dried animal feces for warmth was not unusual. Or living in a large cave where the animals are in back and the humans live in front is another way they used to keep warm. Apparently, the animal produced a lot of warmth that helped humans to survive a harsh night.

 

Human waste carries human pathogens so it is a biological hazard!
Dangerous to play with now and easily fatal to play with when SHTF!

Human waste should not be used to directly grow food humans consume.
For safety you need at least two degrees of separation!

But no worries nature is good at sorting idiots out!
Those who try playing with there own waste will soon enough but still too late find out!

 

Thank you for filling me in. With that being said, I wouldn't mind using it then. Being what it is, I'm willing to bet that the price of this gas is mire than reasonable.
If it is anywhere along the lines of what I'm guessing then count me in.

 

Government entities won't get up and do it, as they want you to pay sewer fees just to flush your toilets. So might as well stick it to the man and take back our crap and turn it into something useful. It can be used for cooking and fuel for a electric generator.

 

You don't have to spoon feed me any information. Just because something can be used for this purpose doesn't mean that it's safe. My point is that there can be side effects to using human waste for fuel. Like I said in my post there are other things in human waist besides methane.

 

That's why it's stored in a biodigester and not anywhere near you. Do some research and you will see that these are in place all over the world and even some cities have these things at your local dump collecting methane gas. You are not eating feces. You don't touch it. Hell even your farts are methane, do you die from that? No!! You must fart at least once a day and smell it. Does it pose a health risk?

Methane is in the air constantly and doesn't kill you. By using methane as a fuel source your are also helping the environment.

Even though I posted video of the said content for guys like you, you still think that we are handling feces. Unbelievable. Even a normal septic tank can be converted to a biodigester, and you never handle the crap, but you still think you have to touch it in order to take advantage of methane gas that also comes out of your @ss.

 

Buffalo chips and dry cow patties are basically still just partially digested grass. They lay out in the sun for a long time and become hard and dry. Once they dry they burn real well. Out on the open prairie there just wasn't any wood. It was endless miles of grass and millions of buffalo. They either used buffalo chips or grass twists for their cooking fires.

The Europeans came and eventually killed all the buffalo, burned plowed and planted the prairies. Unfortunately in the end they found that the soil was thin and without the mat of grass it became bone dry there. The buffalo also dug pits for buffalo wallows that helped the water to soak into the soil. The end result was the dust bowl years when what little top soil there was blew away leaving a lot of the previously fertile prairie land a barren desert.

 

Nearly all organic matter can be used as a fuel source. They can gassify wood and run cars and trucks on it. Methane is a natural byproduct of the process as organic matter is broken down. It is a natural part of the carbon cycle.

 

If you are composting your own waste it is better to use it indirectly on fruit trees or grazing for animals rather than using it directly on your veg beds.

 

OK, the thing about human waste is that it can carry parasites and bacterial agents that might be harmful in the sense of spreading disease. The waste of you and your family isn't toxic because anything in it you already have so it can't spread again to you. Urine is actually sterile and can be used as an astringent to wash wounds. The issue with human waste is that it gets into the water supply and carries the various diseases that seem to "pop up" any time disasters happen. I don't think that using your own waste, properly composted down, will be a hazard to you or your close intimate group.