Supreme Court Rulings Cripple Clean Water Enforcement
Technology to Convert Human Poop into Power may be the No Waste Holy Grail
Polluting Ships may actually Reduce Global Warming!
The World Suffers Another Oil Spill in China
Lawsuit Filed Against FDA over Failure to Regulate BPA
Prescribed Forest Burning Cuts Carbon Dioxide Emissions by up to 60 percent, study finds
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Cow Manure now harvested for Electricity
Hemp Could Be the Perfect Source for Biodiesel
Energy From Ice? China discovers large deposit of Combustible Ice
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World's Largest Cow Manure Biogas Project in China will use GE Jenbacher biogas engines
U Michigan Develops Generators Powered by Random Vibrations
New Technology to "Farm" Methane for Natural Gas
Sperm Whale Feces Helps Reduce Global Warming
Captain Ahab may have hated that giant white sperm whale, but it turns out that the whale’s descendents may be important players in reducing global warming. Australian researchers have stated in the Royal Society Journal Proceedings B that sperm whale feces absorb atmospheric CO2.
Sperm whales are big animals that weigh 35 to 45 tons and can consume about a ton of food a day. That much food “going in” means a significant amount of waste “coming out”. Researchers estimate that sperm whales in the Southern Ocean are responsible for about 55 tons of feces each year.
Sperm whale feces are rich in iron, which encourages the growth of phytoplankton. These tiny marine organisms use CO2 during photosynthesis to make their food, absorbing more than 441,000 tons of carbon during the process. This is more than double what sperm whales release by breathing.
The phytoplankton - sperm whale cycle is critical in certain marine ecosystems as phytoplankton is the beginning of many marine food chains. If phytoplankton is plentiful, then the other marine creatures in the food chain are also likely to maintain healthy populations. Those healthy populations feed the sperm whales, which then release iron-rich feces.
Hundreds of thousands of sperm whales around the globe all quietly defecating could put a serious dent in atmospheric CO2 levels. Moby Dick would be proud.
More amazing articles on animal and human feces and the environment:
Technology to convert human poop into power
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Cow manure now harvested for electricity
Crude Oil's newest source may be pig manure
Energy from cow manure to run HP data center
World's largest cow manure biogas project in China
Recommended for Further Reading:
- Supreme Court Rulings Cripple Clean Water Enforcement
- Technology to Convert Human Poop into Power may be the No Waste Holy Grail
- Polluting Ships may actually Reduce Global Warming!
- The World Suffers Another Oil Spill in China
- Lawsuit Filed Against FDA over Failure to Regulate BPA
- Prescribed Forest Burning Cuts Carbon Dioxide Emissions by up to 60 percent, study finds
- No Dead-Zones in Gulf From BP Dispersant & Oil-Eating Microbes
- Cow Manure now harvested for Electricity
- Hemp Could Be the Perfect Source for Biodiesel
- Energy From Ice? China discovers large deposit of Combustible Ice
- Solar Powered Eye Implant May Help Blind See
- Silver Nanoparticles may pose Health & Environmental Risks
- World's Largest Cow Manure Biogas Project in China will use GE Jenbacher biogas engines
- U Michigan Develops Generators Powered by Random Vibrations
- New Technology to "Farm" Methane for Natural Gas
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Wow, who knew shit can be so environmentally friendly RT @CoraxSays: Whale Poo Helps Fight Global Warming... http://bit.ly/bLPrWI
Whale Poo Helps Fight Global Warming... http://bit.ly/bLPrWI
Whale Poo Helps Fight Global Warming... http://bit.ly/bLPrWI
Whale Poo Helps Fight Global Warming... http://bit.ly/bLPrWI