It's basic biology. Tiny bacteria at the sewage plant eat organic waste and emit methane gas. The gas is captured and converted to electricity. The electricity is used to power the sewage plant.
Akron put a system like this online last December to process one-third of the sludge going through its wastewater treatment plant and is finding success: The city is saving about 15 percent on its electricity bill.
Akron's methane-powered sewage plant is the only system of its kind in the United States. But other cities, including Solon and Canton, now are looking to follow Akron's lead.
Use of this biological process to create energy from waste should gain momentum within the next five to 10 years, predicted Jim Currie of Ohio State University. That's because conventional ways of disposing of waste are becoming too expensive and our appetite for new fuel sources is increasing, said Currie, program director of BioHio at OSU's Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.