Not just waste afterall

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY is looking to become the first zoo in the nation to be powered by its own animal waste. This would be used as an alternative energy source to reduce its $400,000 annual heating and electricity bill. The zoo spends about $10,000 a year on animal-waste disposal, but Baker, the Zoo's director, noted it also requires the use of additional fossil fuels for transportation. Baker said the idea of using animal waste for energy first arose several years ago when she was talking to local officials about the potential for creating a more environmentally friendly and self-sustaining zoo. Because the elephants eat mostly hay, they are the ideal waste producers for the project, Baker said. Additionally, they are inefficient digesters, which makes their feces higher in energy content, she said. The zoo's six elephants produce more than 1,000 pounds of dung per day.The zoo will also look at using the manure from its domestic farm animals, its other hoof stock, such as its bison and caribou, and even its lions and tigers. Depending on the process, the zoo animal waste could be used to produce methane or hydrogen for powering a fuel cell or generator. In the United States, a number of farms have used animal waste to produce power, so the technology is available to apply at the zoo, said John Fox of Homeland Energy Resources Development, a New York City-based renewable energy developer assisting with the study. As gross as it may sound, why don't we do this for human waste if this actually works? It appears to be a solid plan.ha( pun intended)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/05/03/waste.power.ap/index.html