2. Algae
One of the most promising fuels on this list doesn't come from our kitchen,
trashcan or litter box like the rest; it comes from the bottom of the sea.
Scientists across the world have been working hard at getting algae-based
fuels out of the laboratory and into power plants that could light and heat
our homes. Algae can be used to create biofuels with the potential to
augment and replace our existing fossil fuel supply. Oil is harvested from
the algae cells through a variety of methods; those oils are then mixed with
other chemicals to create biodiesel. The good news about algae is that it
can be easily grown in a tank.
In other words, what we have here is a truly viable renewable energy
source. It's far superior to corn when it comes to producing fuel and doesn't
threaten our food supply. Both government and private money has been
invested heavily in algae fuel research.
But algae fuel development remains in its very early stages; that's why this
one hasn't made it out of the lab. At least, not yet -- one recent study
says algae fuels are at least a decade away from marketability. Still, it's one
of the more promising alternative fuel ideas out there -- and it doesn't even
smell like dirty diapers.
3. Cow Farts
Research revealed that a single 1,210 lb (550 kg) cow produces 28 to 35
cubic feet (800 to 1,000 liters) of cow farts. Cow burps too; these multi-
stomached ruminants emit copious clouds of methane from both ends.
4. Urine
A team of British researchers is working with urine (from either Man or
beast) as a medium, explaining that “Urine is chemically very active, rich in
nitrogen and has compounds such as urea, chloride, potassium and bilirubin
which make it very good for the microbial fuel cells.”
5. People Power
Kinetic energy created – and wasted by my people
Tokyo uses floor pads positioned where usually walk: outside train stations and beneath ticket turnstiles, for instance.
There are other places where people use energy for fun – like dancing and working out.
Club Watt in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which calls itself “The World’s First Sustainable Dance Club.” The club’s dance floor
features embedded LEDs that are powered by kinetic energy generated by dancers.
“Green gyms” like Green Revolution, where a group cycling class with 20 bikes can generate up to 3.6 megawatts of renewable
electrical energy annually
. Scientists are able to harness the power we generate from our daily motion to directly power another source of energy or for
battery storage.
Possible points of contact with your daily life include speed bumps at the drive thru
6. Poultry Remains
The recipe may sound disgusting but it works: grind poultry heads, feathers
and innards fine and mix with water, then heat to 500 degrees Fahrenheit at
600 psi. Cook for about an hour, or until the complex polymers in the offal
mix start to break down. A little distillation and what was once garbage is
now as good as gold… black gold.
7. Chocolate
Chocolate as a fuel is strange enough, but this chocolate-powered car is a sustainable
marvel on its own.
Its body is made of woven flax, recycled carbon fiber and recycled resin. The steering
wheel is made of carrot pulp.
And since you wouldn’t drive a sustainable car like that up to the gas pump, it’s powered
by biofuel made of chocolate and animal fats, and it’s lubricated with vegetable oil.
It hits speeds of up to 135 mph, which should be enough proof that chocolate is a healthy
breakfast food.
8. Diapers
Green-minded new parents often feel guilty over the number of disposable diapers their
little bundle of joy goes through.
And with good reason – America alone throws away over 18 million diapers every year.
The number of diapers in landfills is quite alarming, and it’s only going to keep growing
since most of them are made of non-biodegradable materials.
A few companies have decided to turn that pile of diapers into biofuel.
Plants are being erected in England and Canada that will transform the organic materials
in diapers into fuel, and at least one plant in England will recycle the other materials.
9. Fat
If you snuck a little too much of the chocolate before it was made into biodiesel, Fear not.
The Earth race is a boat that runs on human fat.
Technically, it runs on biodiesel, but the boat’s skipper, Pete Bethune, took it around the
world on the power of fuel made from fat.
The fat was obtained from his own body and the bodies of two volunteers via liposuction.
Earth race holds the current record for fastest powerboat journey around the world: just
over 60 days.
10. Jellyfish
A luminous protein GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein), present in some
jellyfish, is being used to develop solar energy technology that can lead to
lower cost photovoltaic cells.
Researchers are also studying the jellyfish’s graceful movements and
methods of propulsion as a model for energy generation processes.
