The new sewage-to-hydrogen automobile fuel pump

As Moms, we can seem surrounded by poop. Even though my house sometimes feels like a system of waste management, a treatment facility in Southern California  has done some serious studying and research and is putting poop to good use.

In Orange County, a waste treatment plant developed an experimental hydrogen cell that is powered by the methane gas produced at these plants. The methane gas is a by-product of the breakdown of waste material at the plant. This methane gas is made into hydrogen and distributed to fueling stations for cars.

Producing energy at wastewater treatment plants is not a new idea, but this is the first time the energy is used by hydrogen-powered car fueling stations. The first station that will be providing poop-produced hydrogen for automobiles is scheduled to open August 16 in Orange County. If this method of obtaining fuel proves successful, other hydrogen filling stations with energy from waste treatment facilities could open across the country.

If all goes according to projected numbers, there will be approximately 50,000 hydrogen-powered cars in southern California by 2015. Mercedes, Honda and Chevrolet have plans to fill this growth in the automobile market. Depending on where the drivers of these live, they could be filling up their cars with hydrogen from a waste treatment facility.

How do people feel about this fuel?

I wouldn’t have any issues at all. The hydrogen wouldn’t have any foul smell, and would not be distinguishable from any other hydrogen fuel. If it powers my car with minimal environmental impact, I wouldn’t care where it came from. Not everyone I spoke to felt this way: “I’m not sure I’d drive a car that people know is powered by POOP!” Another said, “I’d go for it if I could have a special bumper sticker: Power to the Poople!”

It appears an endless supply of energy could be just a toilet bowl away.

What do you think? Would you drive a car powered by poop?

When Eileen Calandro isn’t writing blog posts about the future uses of poop, she is the Chief Mom Connector of Mom Central. You can read about topics other than poop on her personal blog at calandroclan.com and connect with her on twitter at @MomCentralChat and @calandro5.

Eileen Calandro