News / Poo

Bristol’s poo-powered homes

By Ellie Pipe  Thursday Apr 19, 2018

First it was bio buses, now Bristol’s poo-power pioneers are taking things a step further and turning human excrement into household energy.

The sewage waste generated by a million people across the city is being used to create biomethane, an environmentally friendly and sustainable substitute for traditionally used fossil fuel gas.

Now Bristol Energy has teamed up with GENeco, the company behind the ‘poo bus’, and is offering this green gas to its customers as an alternative source of energy for their homes.

Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
Keep our city's journalism independent. Become a supporter member today.

“People are much more aware of the simple changes we can make to tackle climate change, says Simon Proctor, renewables and origination manager at Bristol Energy.

“But for a long time, green energy was seen as more expensive. Luckily, thanks to advances in technology, this is no longer the case. It’s amazing what science can do with your poo.”

Double-decker bio-gas bus

Poo-powered buses are now a familiar sight on Bristol’s streets

Bristol Energy is owned by Bristol City Council and operates across the UK, so poo generated by Bristol residents could be used to power homes around the country. Any profits made by the company are reinvested back into Bristol.

Mohammed Saddiq, managing director of GENeco, says: “By treating sewage and food that’s unfit for human consumption, we’re able to produce enough biomethane to provide a significant supply of gas to the national gas network.

“Biomethane is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Our plant provides carbon savings of around 30,000 tonnes CO2e per year and is a real success story for Bristol. Powering people’s homes using waste from the local area is a real-life example of the circular economy in action.”

How does it work?

Poo is treated and turned into something called sludge, which goes through anaerobic digestion, a process much like a human digestive system, which creates biogas.

This biogas is then cleaned up and upgraded into something that’s exactly the same composition as natural gas – 98 per cent methane.

GENeco treats 75,000,000m3 of sewage waste every year. That’s enough to power 8,300 homes. And an amount of methane equal to flatulence produced by all the dairy cows in Wales.

Facts and figures:

  • An average household’s weekly flushes would be enough to cook a weekend fry- up.
  • An average household’s fortnightly flushes would be enough to cook a roast dinner.
  • Annual flushes from every household in Bristol could fry 83,000,000 eggs.

 

Read more: Piloting a poo-powered bus

 

 

Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
I want to receive (tick as many as you want):
I'm interested in (for future reference):
Marketing Permissions

Bristol24/7 will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please let us know all the ways you would like to hear from us:

We will only use your information in accordance with our privacy policy, which can be viewed here - www.bristol247.com/privacy-policy/ - you can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at [email protected]. We will treat your information with respect.


We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Related articles

You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Join the Better
Business initiative
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
* prices do not include VAT
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Enjoy delicious local
exclusive deals
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Wake up to the latest
Get the breaking news, events and culture in your inbox every morning

Are you sure you want to downgrade?

You will lose some benefits you currently enjoy.
Benefits you will lose: