英國生態公交車用大便做燃料

Britain's first bus powered by human waste has taken to the streets.

近日，英國首輛靠人類糞便供能的新型環保巴士正式上路。

The 40-seater 'Bio-Bus' is fuelled by biomethane gas, generated by the treatment of sewage and food waste at a processing plant in the south west.

這輛40座的“生態巴士”靠人糞、垃圾等廢物所產生的沼氣驅動，沼氣是在西南部的一個處理廠生成。

And a single tank of the gas - produced using the typical annual waste of just five people - is enough to power the vehicle for 190 miles (305km).

據悉，只需要相當於5個人一年的排便量便足夠支撐巴士跑完190英里（約305千米）。

Today's maiden voyage saw the first passengers travel on the route from Bristol Airport to Bath, Somerset - a distance of around 20 miles (32km).

“大便巴士”於11月19日首次上路，將第一批乘客從布里斯托機場運送到了薩默塞特的巴斯，總距離約爲20英里（約32千米）。

The gas is being produced at a Wessex Water sewerage plant, run by energy firm GENeco.

負責生產沼氣的是GENeco能源公司管轄的威塞克斯污水處理廠。

Mohammed Saddiq, director of GENeco, told Bristol Post: 'Gas powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities.

GENeco能源公司負責人穆罕默德·薩迪克稱：“這種由沼氣供能的汽車對提升英國的空氣質量很有幫助。”

'But the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself.'

“但是生態巴士的意義更大，實際上生物巴士的動力是由生活在當地的居民所提供的，甚至很可能是車上的乘客提供的。”

The annual waste of a bus-load of people would provide enough power for a return journey from Land's End to John O'Groats, while producing fewer emissions than a dieselengine.

巴士一車人每年糞便產生的燃料，可供其往返英格蘭西南的蘭茲角到蘇格蘭陸地最北端的天涯海角，且排放量比柴油更少。

Charlotte Morton, chief executive of eco-friendly organisation Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association, said: 'The bus also clearly shows that human poo and our wasted food are valuable resources.

英國生態環保組織厭氧消化和生物資源協會執行董事夏洛特·莫頓說：“生態巴士已經證明，人類糞便以及我們的被丟棄的食物都是寶貴的資源。”

'Food which is unsuitable for human consumption should be separately collected and recycled through anaerobic digestion into green gas and biofertilisers, not wasted inlandfill sites or incinerators.'

“不適合人類食用的食物應被分開收集，通過厭氧消化回收成爲環保氣體和生化肥料，而不應被扔進垃圾填埋場或焚燒。”

GENeco this week also became the first company to start delivering gas generated from human waste directly to 8,300 homes by the national grid.

與此同時，GENeco能源公司也成爲首家向8300戶家庭直接收集人類糞便產生的氣體的公司。

The waste plant in Avonmouth, Bristol, treats 75 million cubic metres of sewage waste, and 35,000 tonnes of food waste, every year.

位於布里斯托的埃文茅斯一家垃圾處理廠每年處理掉7500萬立方米的污水垃圾以及3.5萬噸的食物垃圾。

Using anaerobic digestion the plant is able to produce 17 million tonnes of biomethane a year.

使用厭氧消化該處理廠一年能夠生產1700萬噸的生物沼氣。

COULD POO SOON POWER OUR SMARTPHONES?

那麼問題來了，不久的將來大便也能供能於我們的智能手機麼？

Faeces could soon be used to power a future generation of mobile phones, scientists from the University of East Anglia have claimed.

東英格利亞大學的科學家已經表示，人類分辨在不久的將來確實能夠爲新一代的智能手機提供能源。

The researchers discovered a natural process that occurs within the bacteria found in poo, that could help improve ‘bio batteries’.

研究者們已經發現糞便中的細菌存在一種天然加工過程能夠提升“生物電池”性能。

It is hoped the discovery could produce energy for portable technology, such as smartphones, mobiles, tablets and laptops.

希望通過該發現能在以後爲一些如手機、平板、筆記本等便攜式小家電提供能源。