Zoo’s Poo Could Fuel a New Toronto Biogas Facility

November 16th, 2008 by Alex Felsinger

The Toronto Zoo says their 5,000 animals produce enough dung to easily cover the costs of the proposed $13 million biogas-to-power facility within five years.

The plant would produce enough electricity for not only the zoo, but thousands of Toronto households. Similar operations that convert farm animal and human waste into biogas are already in place across the world.

But where does a zoo come up with $13 million dollars?[social_buttons]

“It’s clean, green energy, pollution-free energy, and we hope we might actually be able to make a little bit of money out of it as well,” said city councilor Glenn de Baeremaeker. But the city’s Budget Director says money for the plant probably won’t be available due to debt, despite the promised return on power.

Instead, the zoo is looking to an outside private financier for the project and still hoping to begin construction by next year. In Texas, the Dallas Zoo dreamed of a biogas plant last year, but it as well has faced financial hurtles and it has yet to be built.

Photo Credit: Seabamium on Flickr under Creative Commons license.









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