Emily Folk
The world is on the brink of an energy crisis. As the population grows and technology plays a more prominent role in daily life, electricity consumption is rising. At the same time, fossil fuels still make up the largest energy source worldwide. Researchers have been attempting to find sustainable methods of producing energy for decades with varying degrees of success. While technologies like wind and solar power have become the most popular, waste-to-energy methods show promise too. Waste-to-energy simultaneously reduces waste while providing relatively clean energy, solving two problems at once.
Despite its advantages, waste-to-energy hasn’t seen widespread adoption. For all its benefits, there are a few disadvantages that prevent broader implementation. Using manure as a waste-to-energy source may provide a way forward.
Issues With Traditional Waste-to-Energy Methods
Waste-to-energy methods typically involve incinerating waste and recovering energy from the burning process. On the positive side, this approach keeps potentially harmful materials out of landfills and produces fossil fuel-free power. Still, there are some disadvantages to it as well.
While biomass accounts for 64% of combustible municipal solid waste, plastics account for most of the rest. Burning plastics can release harmful pollutants into the air, making waste incineration less eco-friendly than it appears. As a result, relying on municipal solid waste as a fuel source is unsustainable.
Waste-to-energy produces less carbon dioxide than fossil fuels, but it still isn’t carbon-free. So while it is preferable to coal and oil, it’s not as clean as it could be. In the past few years, though, a potential answer has come from an unusual place — manure.
Advantages of Manure-to-Energy
Cow and horse manure is rich in methane, which can burn as an energy source. It’s also widely available and doesn’t contain toxin-producing plastics, making it a better fuel than municipal solid waste. As new technologies improve the process, manure-to-energy could prove a reliable fuel source in the future.
Cow and horse owners already have to pay close attention to their pasture for health concerns, so gathering manure doesn’t add much work. From there, farmers and ranchers can either host on-premises manure-to-energy facilities or sell manure to local energy companies. Not only is this waste a conveniently available fuel, but it’s an effective one too.
Manure-to-energy processes reduce carbon dioxide production by 200 kilograms per ton of manure compared to other biomass. Not only does this fuel avoid toxins from plastic, but it also releases fewer greenhouse gases than other “green” fuels. While it may not be emission-free, it does represent a substantial improvement.
Overcoming Barriers in Waste-to-Energy Processes
Manure-to-energy processes still come with some challenges, but there are ways around them. First, all waste-to-energy techniques, including those with manure, tend to be expensive. One potential solution to this issue is adding food waste to the equation.
Processing both manure and food waste in a digester increases its energy output and profits farmers through waste removal fees from restaurants and retailers. As a result, people who host these systems will break even sooner, reducing the impact of their cost. This faster turnover rate could help convince more cow and horse owners to adopt these systems.
Switching to manure over municipal waste as a fuel source could mean that waste returns to landfills instead of energy facilities. To maintain both systems’ benefits, manure-to-energy processes shouldn’t replace other methods but rather supplement them. Using a variety of sustainable energy production processes ensures the most comprehensive and effective approach to reducing pollution.
Solutions to Prominent Issues Can Come From Unexpected Places
Manure may seem like an unlikely candidate for preventing an energy crisis, but it could be an effective one. As the pursuit of green energy continues, answers could come from unusual places. By looking to the unconventional, the world can protect its future.