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22 January 2015

New UK bus powered by human waste lowers harmful emissions

A new bus run solely on human and food waste is cutting public transport emissions in the United Kingdom. The "Bio-Bus", developed by British company GENeco, uses bio-methane gas in place of conventional fuel. Originally trialled in car format, the bus currently ferries travellers between Bath and Bristol Airport. The unique vehicle is already being hailed as a sustainable option that, if widely rolled-out, has the capacity to improve urban air quality.

Up to 10,000 passengers are expected to travel on the bus each month, with Bristol airport and the City of Bristol both expressing support. The bus can travel around 300 kilometres on one tank of gas, which takes the waste of about five people to produce. The waste is transformed into a fuel source through the process of anaerobic digestion, in which microorganisms break down the organic material to produce biogas.

The bus has already galvanised the conversation around air quality in Bristol and Bath, and has put the spotlight on human and food waste as a valuable resource. “Gas-powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities, but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself,” said Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco.

For more information, visit the Guardian.