Pig farm turns waste into fuel source

“When pigs fly.” It’s an expression that means “never,” or at least – “don’t hold your breath.” Pigs aren’t likely to take flight anytime soon – but what if their waste can make things fly? What?

Well, maybe not fly, per se – but a pig farmer in England is using pig waste (a euphemism if ever there was one) to make electricity. In many respects, that’s just as good, and at least as useful.

John Ibbett’s plant north of London traps methane emissions from food and farm waste in giant vats. It’s then burned to produce electricity. Burning the methane has the added benefit of preventing this greenhouse gas from reaching the atmosphere.

What’s the difference?

It’s estimated that Ibbett’s pigs emit one-third less carbon than others. Not only is the methane trapped and burnt, but the electricity produced replaces high-carbon power. Finally, the final product is a soil fertilizer, less energy-intensive than the nitrogen variety.

More plants could have a real effect. Farming contributes as much to global warming as all the planes, cars and trucks in the world combined. That will increase as the world tries to feed an extra three billion people by 2050.

Luckily, they might just be on the way. The U.S. Senate is debating a bill to clear some of the regulatory red tape that currently impedes livestock biogas operations. If it passes, the timing might just be perfect – President Obama has pledged $150 billion in stimulus for renewable energy sources.

Pigs keep making waste – lots of it. So that qualifies as renewable.