Elephant Dung Gets Powerful Use

Source: The Commercial Appeal Memphis, TN Publication date: Mar 05, 2000

Researchers say they have succeeded in generating electricity from natural gas derived from elephant dung.

A spokesman from the Ministry of Science's Bureau of Energy Development and Promotion says a project begun last August has been developing ways of using elephant excrement as a low-cost, environmentally friendly energy source.

The researchers found that when the excrement is fermented, it can produce natural gas suitable for use as cooking gas or feedstock for an electric generator.

An elephant produces 88 to 110 pounds of excrement a day - enough to produce cooking gas for a family of two or three, according to the ministry.

But the cost is not cheap. The minimum price of construction of a fermentation pit, pipeline and storage tank is around $800 and a generator that could use the gas costs around $2,667.

Publication date: Mar 05, 2000 ) 2000, NewsReal, Inc.

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-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 09, 2000

Answers

I said it before and I'll say it again. This is bad.

Elephants are grand creatures. Why reduce their purpose of life to that of fulfilling the needs and luxuries of greedy humans.

GRRRRRRR!!!!!

-- cin (cinlooo@aol.com), March 09, 2000.

If you process elephant dung in an atmosphere that already contains tons of Irish and Australian cow farts (and burps), won't that cause the planet to explode? What if someone tosses in a lit ferret?

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), March 09, 2000.

Another underwhelming droll dissertation about plops in the antipodean night. This board is in rapid ascent to dizzying depths...hehehe...

Regards from OZ

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), March 09, 2000.