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Powered by panda poop
Sydney Morning Herald ^
| April 29 2003
Posted on 04/29/2003 8:38:08 AM PDT by dead
A Japanese scientist could soon become stinking rich with an invention to be ready by 2005 that would use Panda dung to create electricity.
Fumiaki Taguchi, emeritus professor of Kitasato University in Tokyo, embarked on the project five years ago when he asked Ueno Zoo for a bucketful of one of their most popular residents' faeces.
Bacteria inside the panda's belly must be pretty special to be able to digest tough bamboo leaves and shoots, he reasoned.
"If a panda can support such a big body by eating bamboo leaves, it's really different from other animals," Professor Taguchi said.
"There might not be any other living thing on the planet able to digest bamboo leaves or the skin of the shoots. They are made of such tough organic materials."
His research team then selected five micro-organisms among the some 270 they discovered in the poop - ones that were the most efficient at breaking down proteins, fats and could reproduce easily even under high heat.
The team mixed the bacteria with 70 to 100kg of raw garbage, such as vegetable stems, for 17 weeks in an industrial waste disposal machine.
The result: only three kilograms of waste remained, while the rest had turned to water and carbon dioxide - way above the 80 per cent efficiency of most commercial disposal bacteria.
The outcome is not just soggy gas.
Professor Taguchi said the company of which he is a director, H2Japan, hopes to create a hydrogen fuel cell and waste disposal unit in one to sell to food processing companies across Japan.
He aims to showcase his invention at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi prefecture, some 250km west of Tokyo, which starts that March.
"For every one kilogram of waste I can get about 100 litres of hydrogen," he said. "It won't amount to much electricity, maybe enough to power the exit lamps in an entire building."
"In the next year, we want to see if we can improve this," he said.
AFP
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: energy; energylist; environment; hydrogen; panda; pandapoop
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1
posted on
04/29/2003 8:38:09 AM PDT
by
dead
To: dead
Dynamo dung.
2
posted on
04/29/2003 8:42:39 AM PDT
by
Consort
To: dead
Arn't Pandas endangered? There is a shortage already.
3
posted on
04/29/2003 8:47:02 AM PDT
by
bmwcyle
(Semper Gumby - Always flexible)
To: dead
This is some series crap. Yes this is hugh.
4
posted on
04/29/2003 8:47:31 AM PDT
by
Conspiracy Guy
(Saddam is seeking the democrat nomination)
To: Howlin; Ed_NYC; MonroeDNA; widgysoft; Springman; Timesink; dubyaismypresident; Grani; coug97; ...
"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....
If you want on or off this list, please let me know!
5
posted on
04/29/2003 8:47:38 AM PDT
by
mhking
To: dead
The team mixed the bacteria with 70 to 100kg of raw garbage, such as vegetable stems, for 17 weeks in an industrial waste disposal machine. The result: only three kilograms of waste remained, while the rest had turned to water... Finally, an answer to LA's drinking water problem.
6
posted on
04/29/2003 8:48:12 AM PDT
by
skeeter
(Fac ut vivas)
To: bmwcyle
Arn't Pandas endangered? There is a shortage already.Oooooops!
There's always a glitch in these alternative energy scams, isn't there?
LOL!
7
posted on
04/29/2003 8:51:39 AM PDT
by
Willie Green
(Go Pat Go!!!)
To: dead
You would think he would of picked an animal whose population numbers would gaurantee a generous supply. ooh, I don't know, let's say,.... cows?
8
posted on
04/29/2003 8:53:09 AM PDT
by
Hatteras
(The Thundering Herd Of Turtles ROCK!)
To: dead
I'm reminded of the futuristic DeLorean in the "Back to the Future" movies. The car was powered by trash and garbage.
What next?
To: dead
"Mr. Fusion"?
To: dead
The panda poop was only used to identify the bacteria, which presumably can be cultured and produced without any further need for poop.
This sounds like a pretty nifty idea.
11
posted on
04/29/2003 8:58:02 AM PDT
by
Dog Gone
To: dead; Carry_Okie; forester; sasquatch; B4Ranch; SierraWasp; hedgetrimmer; christie; comwatch; ...
Produce shit and someone somewhere will come up with a way to use it.
12
posted on
04/29/2003 9:00:25 AM PDT
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: dead
Stinking good news.
13
posted on
04/29/2003 9:01:42 AM PDT
by
Mister Baredog
((They wanted to kill 50,000 of us on 9/11, we will never forget!))
To: Hatteras
You would think he would of picked an animal whose population numbers would gaurantee a generous supply. I think that the process depends on the supply of the potent bacteria. They got their sample from the panda dung, but can cultivate it in the lab now (petree dishes, etc.) I don't think that the process depends on having pandas, per se.
14
posted on
04/29/2003 9:01:54 AM PDT
by
krb
(the statement on the other side of this tagline is false)
To: *Energy_List
To: farmfriend
BTTT!!!!!
16
posted on
04/29/2003 9:06:01 AM PDT
by
E.G.C.
To: farmfriend; NormsRevenge; Grampa Dave; SierraWasp; Carry_Okie
Produce shit and someone somewhere will come up with a way to use it. Sounds like it could have come right out of Sacramento!
17
posted on
04/29/2003 9:13:02 AM PDT
by
Ernest_at_the_Beach
(Where is Saddam? and where is Tom Daschle?)
To: dead
All your panda poop are berong to us.
18
posted on
04/29/2003 9:22:35 AM PDT
by
SC DOC
To: dead
I like to start each morning by reading an inspirational panda poop news item. Thanks for posting.
To: bmwcyle
Arn't Pandas endangered? There is a shortage already. All they need is a boy bacterium and a girl bacterium from each of the 5 kinds of bacteria.
20
posted on
04/29/2003 9:33:24 AM PDT
by
biblewonk
(Spose to be a Chrissssstian)
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