A Bus Powered by Human Waste
A bus that runs on a gas powered by human waste goes for a test run in England. Students can explore alternative and renewable energy sources and processes with biofuel and microbial fuel science projects.

Did you catch wind of the new Bio-Bus (dubbed the "poo bus") that hit the roads this week in England for a 4-week trial? The bus, operated by the Bath Bus Company, is powered by bio-gas.
An experiment in putting alternative energy on the roads, the Bio-Bus uses gas generated by the breakdown of human waste, something the company is putting front and center for passengers with the illustration on the outside of the bus!
According to a writeup in The Guardian, one tank of gas will carry the bus more than 150 miles and "takes the annual waste of around five people to produce."
Students can learn more about biofuel and other alternative energy sources with hands-on K-12 science projects like these:
- From Trash to Gas: Biomass Energy
- Burning Biofuels: Comparing Nonrenewable and Renewable Fuels
- Turn Plants into Biofuel with the Power of Enzymes *
- Go Green by Growing Green: How to Extract Energy from Grass
- How Do Bacteria Produce Power in a Microbial Fuel Cell?
- Powered by Pee: Using Urine in a Microbial Fuel Cell
- Turn Mud into Energy with a Microbial Fuel Cell -- and a Dash of Salt
- Waste Not, Want Not: Use the Microbial Fuel Cell to Create Electricity from Waste
For more real-world biofuel, microbial fuel, and alternative fuel inspiration, see:
- Turning Biomass into Biofuel: These Cows Are Making Massive Amounts of Potential Alternative Energy
- Microbial Fuel Cells: On the Hunt for Renewable Energy
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