Stockholm, in Sweden, already has 70 buses running on biofuel. Soon biofuel will power 350-400 buses in Oslo.
Credit: Lisa MacKinnon
OSLO, NORWAY: Can the key to "clean" energy be found down in the sewer? That's the idea in Oslo, where city officials soon plan to introduce buses that run on biofuels extracted from human waste.
As of 2010, the new buses are due to start plying the streets of the Norwegian capital.
"It's a win-win situation: It's carbon neutral, it hardly pollutes the environment, it's less noisy and its endlessly renewable," says Ole Jakob Johansen, one of the people in charge of the project at Oslo city hall.
The biofuel, which is methane generated by fermenting sludge, will come from the Bekkelaget sewage treatment plant which handles waste from 250,000 city dwellers.
"By going to the bathroom, a person produces the equivalent of eight litres (2.1 gallons) of diesel per year. That may not seem like a lot, but multiplied by 250,000 people, that is enough to operate 80 buses for 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles) each," Johansen says.
Compared to diesel, biomethane is a giant green step forward.
In addition to being carbon neutral, it emits 78 per cent less nitrogen oxide and 98 per cent fewer fine particles -- two causes of respiratory illnesses -- and is 92 per cent less noisy.
Even the price is advantageous, says Johansen. All included, the cost of producing biofuel equivalent to one litre of diesel comes to 0.72 euros (98 cents), while diesel at the pump in Norway currently costs more than 1.0 euro.
"The fuel is less expensive but the cost of the new buses and their maintenance is higher. In total, it's about 15 percent more expensive," notes Anne-Merete Andersen of Ruter, the operator of Oslo's public transport system.
Contrary to first generation bio-ethanol, made from grains and plants, biomethane has the added advantage of not impacting food supplies, nor does it require fertilisation or deplete precious water resources.
Environmentalists are delighted.
"We've been waiting for this for a long time. It's extremely good for the climate and also for the quality of urban life," beams Olaf Brastad of the Bellona environmental organisation.
"I see absolutely no downsides. On the contrary, it is an optimal way of using a renewable energy that has always been there, just waiting to be exploited," he adds.
The initiative, if extended to Oslo's second waste treatment plant and complemented with biofuels made from food waste, could provide enough fuel for all of Oslo's 350 to 400 buses.
"If our entire fleet switched to biomethane, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by around 30,000 tonnes per year," according to Ruter.
Biofuel buses have already been introduced in several cities, including the French city of Lille and Stockholm, Sweden, where 70 such buses are already in service.
"There were some teething problems with the introduction, but now that those problems have been resolved we see that we have a fuel that works well," Sara Anderson, a biofuels specialist for Stockholm's public transport system.
And, for those who remain sceptical, Johansen stressed that "there is absolutely no smell."
poo-powered buses in Norway
The idea of utilizing humane waists as a fuel is not a new one. But I know folks here in Norway. They are full of good ideas but it takes a hell of a time to implement them.
This little country is haunted by bureaucracy. Everything has always been obsessively politicized than debated so when a half of the civilized world will benefit from the idea, the Norwegians are going to debate its pro and cons. Our parliament "Storting" will decide in the year ( let say 2040) to go ahead with it, than they will embark upon the issue of taxation of the ( sorry) shit- made gas
Hence the environmentalism has been the secular creed of the nation the polititions will have it hard to argue a high taxation policy on bio- gas as a potentially bio- unfriendly. In the ( hypothetically) year 2060 Norwegian wise politician will conclude that there is too little to earn on the idea and will abandon it
Good idea
I personally have been against biofuels as they are primarily made from food products which raise food prices across the world and cause panic across middle class socities in developing countries. However, the poo powered buses sounds like a great idea if it is commercially feasible. And I also hope the buses don't smell bad because of their source of fuel ;)
- Ryan
Bio fuels made from non-food farming
Look into ethanol made from pine wood chips in Georgia. Georgia tree farmers have been hit hard by the loss of the paper industry and the disappearance of the pulp wood market. The process of making ethanol from pine wood chips creates 6 times more ethanol than corn per ton of input. Two processing plants are being built in Georgia now that can use all FARMED pine trees with in a 50 mile radius. Remember these trees are farmed. They go from seedling to harvest in 10-12 years. As soon as the trees are harvested a new crop is planted. The land is hardly ever without trees on it.
Then there is Jathropa plants. They are non-edible but create a bean that is 26 to 60% oil. The beans are pressed to retrieve the oil. The oil is used in deveolping countries for cooking fuel, light, soap and further processed to create bio-fuel. Jathropa grows where food crops will not. Jathropa can grow in dry areas. The bean production per acre is from about 1 ton to 5 tons per year. Jathropa can be producing beans within about 8 months of being planted. See youtube for some videos on Jathropa.