Some are calling it the new ‘black gold.’ Sewage may be a dirty business, but it may also be a lucrative one. Waste Management is betting on a future in sewage-to-biofuel, joining forces with the largest refiner in the U.S., Valero Energy Corp., to blend wastewater “crude” into gasoline. As Tina Casey explains in her piece for CleanTechnica,

The two companies have invested in Terrabon LLC, which was formed in the 1990’s to commercialize three technologies including a biofuel process called MixAlco.  With a half-billion people (and counting) contributing to the feedstock in the U.S. alone, it looks like sewage could be the answer to the search for a truly sustainable biofuel.

Until now, the sewage-to-biofuel picture has been somewhat modest.  Norway is experimenting with biomethane busses, San Antonio has a sewage biomethane program, and sewage grease is being tapped as a potential fuel. The partnership between Waste Management and Valero takes it a giant step further into the mass market.  It means that Terrabon will have access to a high volume of organic waste as a feedstock for the process, along with a major customer to receive the organic salts and convert them to biofuel.  Given the national scope of these operations, looks like it’s finally showtime for sewage.

From a distance, we’ll be tracking Waste Management’s success in turning poop into gas!

[Source: CleanTechnica]