Venture capital is so marvelous it can turn crap into gold:
A new Tukwila company has scored $8 million in financing to turn cow manure and trash into usable energy.
Prometheus Energy Co., which has kept a low profile for the past two years, is developing a new technology that transforms the methane gas produced at landfills, cow pastures and coal mines into a substitute for diesel fuel.
“What we do is take pollution and turn it into energy,” explained Daniel Clarkson, vice president of government and legal affairs at the startup. “We take waste gases … and through a freezing process turn that into liquid natural gas.”
In India they power stoves with methane from cow shit, but this process is much more exotic.
Thanks to reader Ruth for the tip.
Interesting – this was a hot area a couple of years ago. The biggest challenges were making sure a) the technology actually worked and b) there was a viable economic model behind it. Something to keep an eye on.
Evan.