An eco-green business in England is looking to generate gas from a new source--grass clippings. We all know that grass clippings can be cut fine and left on a property as an organic fertilizer, but Gloucester-based Ecotricity is looking to take the clippings one step further and turn them into fuel.
“Grass is appealing because it’s got a greater energy density than food waste, twice as much,” said Ecotricity founder Dale Vince. “It produces cleaner gas, but it doesn’t come with the problems of traditional energy crops, which are all associated with intensive farming, pesticides, fertilizers and loss of habitats for wildlife.”
In their process, collected grass clippings are taken to an anaerobic digestion plant, where microorganisms break them down into fertilizer and a biogas. That gas is purified into biomethane, which can then be used in compressed natural gas (CNG). Vince sees it as a path to energy security and environmental benefits. “We can create something like 100,000 jobs here,” he said, “and have climate-neutral gas at the same time.”
“We can make all of the gas we need here in Britain, making us independent from global fossil fuel markets and prices, and the insecurities around the world that are inherent in that.”
More from Ecotricity
