# Is a fart just a fart or is there more to it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041 "2020-08-02T03:14:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rboyce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rboyce/32/4066_2.png) [@rboyce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rboyce)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/1 "2020-08-02T03:14:09Z")
Someone in another forum made a comment about farts and how you could light one with a match & it would burn. This got me thinking so I looked into it and found some interesting things. ## _ **Chemical Composition of Farts** _ _The exact chemical composition of human flatulence varies from one person to another, based on his or her biochemistry, the_ [bacteria](https://www.thoughtco.com/bacteria-friend-or-foe-372431) _inhabiting the colon, and the foods that were eaten. If the gas results from ingesting air, the chemical composition will approximate that of_ [_air_](https://www.thoughtco.com/chemical-composition-of-air-604288) _. If the fart arises from digestion or bacterial production, the chemistry may be more exotic. Farts consist primarily of nitrogen, the principal gas in air, along with a significant amount of_ [_carbon dioxide_](https://www.thoughtco.com/carbon-dioxide-poisoning-608396) _. A typical breakdown of the_ [chemical composition](https://www.thoughtco.com/elemental-composition-of-human-body-603896) _of farts is:_ - _Nitrogen: 20-90%_ - _Hydrogen: 0-50% (flammable)_ - _Carbon dioxide: 10-30%_ - _Oxygen: 0-10%_ - _Methane: 0-10% (flammable)_ - _Human flatus may contain_ [_hydrogen gas_](https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-hydrogen-gas-608261) _and/or methane, which are flammable. If sufficient amounts of these gases are present, it’s possible to_ [_light_](https://www.thoughtco.com/how-fart-lighting-works-607317)[_​_](https://www.thoughtco.com/how-fart-lighting-works-607317)[_the fart on fire_](https://www.thoughtco.com/how-fart-lighting-works-607317) _._ EXXON Mobile is spending millions to improve the yeast output of alcohol. I wish them the best in their ind-ever but I think they would have better results using the hundreds of thousands of sewer treatment plants, converting this waste into useful energy. Anybody care to comment, pro or con–? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/2 "2020-08-02T03:29:05Z")
As you get older, every fart is a risky proposition. Heard that …. uh, from a friend. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/3 "2020-08-02T03:59:10Z")
I have toured sewage treatment plants as part of college level microbiology classes. One I went to harvested and stored the methane it produced, but it only got enough to heat its own buildings through the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/4 "2020-08-02T14:06:04Z")
Is a fart just a fart …as time goes by ♩♫ ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/5 "2020-08-02T14:44:12Z")
I had…I mean, I _heard_ the same thing. Really took some joy out of life. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/6 "2020-08-02T15:49:20Z")
Only about 1/3 of humans ever have methane in their farts, anyone may have hydrogen gas. For most of us, therefore, the ingredient that burns if you light it is hydrogen. Source: QI (Quite Interesting), a sort of panel quiz show on BBC2. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/7 "2020-08-05T16:12:24Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > As you get older, every fart is a risky proposition. I heard it a different way: “Never trust a fart”. Regarding “Blue Flame”, in my younger days, I did, in fact, light one up, on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/8 "2020-08-05T17:42:07Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I have toured sewage treatment plants as part of college level microbiology classes. One I went to harvested and stored the methane it produced, but it only got enough to heat its own buildings through the winter. As I understand it, that’s not an uncommon arrangement on livestock farms, too. The manure goes into a digester, where the methane produced can be collected. But like you said, this generally only produces enough gas to heat the farm’s own buildings. A different arrangement I once heard a scientist advocate on NPR’s _Science Friday_ years ago is to use sewage treatment plants as algae farms. The algae would help break down the sewage and remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The algae could then be harvested to produce biofuels, creating a carbon-neutral fuel source. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/9 "2020-08-06T17:52:30Z")
Mythbusters did a whole episode on farts. In it, they set up a contraption to capture a fart in a bathtub so they could analyze its contents. I don’t recall the results, but good luck getting this image out of your head. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7_1tGQn1Bgk/maxresdefault.jpg "Mythbusters - Adam passing gas.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_1tGQn1Bgk) ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/10 "2020-08-06T22:22:26Z")
Sometimes it is an electric fart…has a little juice to it. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/11 "2020-08-07T06:19:39Z")
Having lived in the dorms in college, I can attest: farts are DEFINITELY combustible. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/12 "2020-08-07T14:30:34Z")
It’s a crapshoot all right. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/13 "2020-08-07T14:35:42Z")
> [@rboyce](#): > > EXXON Mobile is spending millions to improve the yeast output of alcohol. I wish them the best in their ind-ever but I think they would have better results using the hundreds of thousands of sewer treatment plants, converting this waste into useful energy. > > Anybody care to comment, pro or con–? That kind of technology is being tested out as well. That EXXON is investing in other research shows that sewage gas hasn’t so far proven itself to be a perfect solution that will solve all energy demands all by itself. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/14 "2020-08-09T02:30:46Z")
I’ve learned in life that on the way up, you sometimes have to smell some farts. But you should never let anyone sh\*t on you. ---
**Author:** ![rboyce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rboyce/32/4066_2.png) [@rboyce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rboyce)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/15 "2020-08-12T22:40:02Z")
> [@naita](#): > > That kind of technology is being tested out as well. That EXXON is investing in other research shows that sewage gas hasn’t so far proven itself to be a perfect solution that will solve all energy demands all by itself. I totally agree; adding that it will not be just one new energy source, we will need to use them all if we are to save our hides before the sun bakes our ass’s dry ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/16 "2020-08-13T01:15:07Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I’ve learned in life that on the way up, you sometimes have to smell some farts. But you should never let anyone sh\*t on you. And if you fart in the OR during abdominal surgery, fess up, so everyone knows it’s not due to knicked bowel. ---
**Author:** ![rboyce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rboyce/32/4066_2.png) [@rboyce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rboyce)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/17 "2020-08-15T18:12:34Z")
I tried to find a new energy source and what do I get in return-? I get pooped on; go figure ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/18 "2020-08-16T00:05:45Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > …as time goes by ♩♫ The fundamental things remain in your underwear. > [@Sigmund Freud](#): > > Sometimes a fart is just a fart ---
**Author:** ![rboyce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rboyce/32/4066_2.png) [@rboyce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rboyce)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/19 "2020-08-22T23:22:27Z")
A moderator on another forum closed this discussion by stating---- _Moderator Note_ _OK. This started badly and has gone badly downhill_. _Try [immatureschoolboysforum.com](http://immatureschoolboysforum.com) instead._ a possible new source of energy, flammable farts My responce was— you closed the following forum — _“a possible new source of energy, flammable farts”_ Before you stuck your but into this discussion a few posters were trying to honestly discuss the energy potential of converting sewage treatment plants into self-sustaining facilities. The plants would get their power from the sewage they treat. I believe this could qualify as the first perpetual motion machine in our history. You are truly a party-pooper Should it have been closed–? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041/20 "2020-08-23T14:49:13Z")
I recall an NREL report estimating the potential for about an eighth of a quad’s worth of methane from domestic municipal wastewater, annually. Not much, but every bit counts. It’s a relatively low-hanging fruit. DC’s Blue Plains treatment plant has a digester hooked to a 13 MW CHP turbine. This just offsets some of the plant’s power needs; the plant is still a net consumer of energy. But I’ve been told their output stream is cleaner than the Potomac water they’re dumping it into. Other plants may have less stringent requirements, but I’m not up to speed on this. 1 quad = 1 quadrillion BTUs ~ 1 exajoule We use about 100 quads/year from all sources. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-fart-just-a-fart-or-is-there-more-to-it/917041.md?page=2)