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Human waste powers VW Beetle

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A Volkswagen Beetle that runs on methane produced from human waste in sewage sludge has been unveiled in Bristol.

Bath-based Greenfuel Company converted the ‘bug’ so it could run on biogas generated at the Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth.

With support from the South West Regional Development Agency, GENeco, a Wessex Water-owned company, imported specialist equipment to purify biomethane in a way that doesn’t affect the vehicle performance.

If both tanks were filled up with methane the car would travel for 250 miles

The biogas is enough to power a conventional two-litre VW Beetle convertible to 114mph.

According to GENeco, waste flushed down the toilets of just 70 homes in Bristol is enough to power the ‘Bio-Bug’ for a year, based on an annual mileage of 10,000 miles.

Countries including India and China use compressed natural gas (CNG) to power vehicles and a number of companies in the UK are now using CNG mainly to fuel buses and commercial vehicles. In Sweden, more than 11,500 vehicles already run on biomethane produced from sewage plants.

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