# The Amazing Power of Poop

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-power-of-poop/160286>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 10, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-power-of-poop/160286 "2003-03-10T12:51:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-power-of-poop/160286/1 "2003-03-10T12:51:10Z")

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[Farmer Powers Area With Cow Manure](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/SciTech/cow_power030308.html)

> [@](#):
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> Underground pipes carry the manure to a heated cement pit. For 21 days, it cooks gently at about 100 degrees, making it a perfect environment for hungry bacteria.
> 
> The bacteria release methane gas, which is collected and run over to a 3406 CAT engine coupled to a 150 kilowatt generator.

According to the article, the cow shit produces enough electricity to power about 80 homes.

So, could a similar system be used with human shit in large cities? Is it that much different from cow shit?  
And would it help the process of sewage treatment?

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-power-of-poop/160286/2 "2003-03-10T13:30:07Z")

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Don’t know about human shit which is from an omnivore instead of a herbavore (cow) but landfills release methane which is sometimes reclaimed, smetimes just burnt off as the costs of reclaiming it doesn’t all pay off.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-power-of-poop/160286/3 "2003-03-10T13:32:30Z")

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Also I remember that cow dung is dryed to a soild and sold as fuel in some parts of the world. This was an example of short circuiting the natural process which in the long run hurts the land and makes it harder to live on. The solution was just as you said to produce methane with it and the remains are used as ferterlizer.

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**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-power-of-poop/160286/4 "2003-03-10T14:21:28Z")

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> [@](#):
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> So, could a similar system be used with human shit in large cities? Is it that much different from cow shit

I bet you could, but how are you going to collect all that shit? it’d be insanely hard to revamp an entire city’s sewer system.

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**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-power-of-poop/160286/5 "2003-03-11T06:51:30Z")

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> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by Harmonix \*  
> \*\*I bet you could, but how are you going to collect all that shit? it’d be insanely hard to revamp an entire city’s sewer system. \*\*

You wouldn’t have to. The wastewater treatment plant at the end of the line collects the shit from the wastewater. It is called sludge at that stage of the game.

How it is different from cow shit, I’ve no idea. There’s not a lot of cows around here.