The French city of Lille is to power a 100-strong bus fleet using biogas fuel made from organic household waste, thanks to a pioneering recycling plant unveiled on Wednesday.
In a project unique in Europe, the plant will supply the northern city with four million cubic metres of eco-friendly biogas per year — enough to power 100 buses — produced from food scraps, weeds, flowers and grass clippings.
Biogas, produced by decomposing organic material via a process called biomethanisation, emits far less carbon dioxide than traditional fossil fuels. Sweden launched the world’s first biogas-fueled train in 2005.
The country’s only biogas fuel plant is also equipped to transfer non-recyclable waste via local waterways for incineration at a nearby energy-optimisation centre.
Step-by-step the march towards energy independence and a cleaner environment – broadens and becomes stronger. Some places sooner than others.
Obviously ExxomMobilBPUnocal haven’t bought the French government yet.
Organic matter breaks down in the earth and creates soil. If the world gathers all its waste organic matter and burns it as fuel the the earth will be that much less topsoil.
Reminds me of an old Loony Toons cartoon – is there a giant pig in the engine compartment?
Just for the record, the image used here is actually of a Swedish biogas bus operating in Uppsala…
Almost being run over them three times a day kind of trains your eye to recognize the shape and colour 😉
Now, comparing the French diet to the Swede’s – will the French buses go faster?
2, its not the soil, its the Gas’ created WHILE making the soil.
In the county I live in, EPA has estimated in 2000 that we had 20,000,000+ tons of cattle manure, and going up.
Then add to that this is a farming area…And all the grass clippings,
we could probably supply the WHOLE state.
so… is this a “Back to the Future” bus?
They must be using a Mr. Fusion
Fayetteville NC created a biogas recapture program and sold it to a soybean processing plant…10-15 years ago.