By: Katherine Huang

Did you know poop is now considered a renewable energy source? It’s true! Power companies have started converting poop into power! You may be wondering how exactly to they do it. In this article I’ll talk about how companies have started converting poop into energy.

Poop contains necessary raw materials to create methane gas. Methane gas is burned for energy and heat. You can’t just set your toilet on fire, however. First, the poop is collected.

In a human’s case, sewage water is separated from poop at a water treatment plant, leaving only the poop. Then, it is transferred to a warm, oxygen-free tank, where poop-eating organisms are waiting. These organisms break down complex carbon-based molecules into a series of simpler and simpler molecules. Eventually, other organisms happily gobble the molecules up, breathing out a gas that contains some carbon dioxide, but mostly methane.

Since methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, some companies can use methane gas to fuel power plants. Additionally, more farms have installed infrastructure to convert animal poop into methane to lower energy costs and sell any excess.

In conclusion, I talked about how poop can be converted into power that can be used. So, stop wasting our waste and fully embrace poop power!