Manure-derived synthetic crude oil is a synthetic

bio-oil Pyrolysis oil, sometimes also known as bio-crude or bio-oil, is a synthetic fuel under investigation as substitute for petroleum. It is obtained by heating dried biomass without oxygen in a reactor at a temperature of about with subsequent cool ...

chemically engineered (converted) from animal or human

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutri ...

. Research into the production of manure-derived synthetic fuel began with pig manure in 1996 at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universit ...

by the research team led by professors Yuanhui Zhang and Lance Schideman. They developed a method for converting raw pig manure into bio-oil through

thermal depolymerization Thermal depolymerization (TDP) is the process of converting a polymer into a monomer or a mixture of monomers, by predominantly thermal means. It may be catalysed or un-catalysed and is distinct from other forms of depolymerisation which may rely o ...

(thermochemical conversion). This process uses a thermochemical conversion reactor to apply heat and pressure for breaking down carbohydrate materials. As a result, bio-oil, methane and carbon dioxide are produced. With further research, large-scale chemical processing in a refinery-style environment could help process millions of gallons of "pig biocrude" per day. However, this technology is still in its infancy and could produce only of oil per of manure. In 2006, preparations for a construction of a pilot plant started. It is developed by Snapshot Energy, a start-up firm. According to the tests conducted by the

National Institute of Standards and Technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

pig manure biocrude produced by current technology contains 15% water,

sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

and char waste containing heavy metals, which should be removed to improve the quality of oil.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Feces Sustainable technologies Biofuels Synthetic fuels

See also

References