Recently, Zhang Yuanhui, a professor of agricultural engineering at the University of Illinois, successfully converted a small batch of pig manure into crude oil. This process is called thermochemical conversion and it mainly uses heat and pressure to decompose the carbohydrate material and turn the waste into a liquid. At present, the project is still in its early stages. Up till now, every 2 liters of fertilizer can only be converted to 0.26 liters of oil. However, Zhang Yuanhui believes that the conversion process will eventually solve the problem of pollution and odor in modern hog farms, and it will save the farmer the cost of handling pig excreta. He also pointed out that crude oil extracted from pig manure can become a substitute for petroleum fuel. Zhang said: "If 50% of the US pig farms use this technology, then the annual import of crude oil can be reduced by 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, and the income of pig farms can be increased by 10% - an increase of 10-15 U.S. dollars per pig. "In the oil crisis of the United States in the 1970s, researchers had tried to convert wood sludge and coal into oil, but it turned out to be too expensive. Later, when oil prices fell, the idea of ​​converting waste into fuel was eliminated. But now, the price of oil in the United States has been hovering at US$40 per barrel. Pig manure extraction oil has once again become an attractive fuel choice. Zhang’s team created a small-scale thermochemical conversion reactor that applies heat and pressure to pig manure. This process breaks down the long hydrocarbon chain of the fertilizer into short chains and produces by-products such as methane, carbon dioxide, water, and oil. . Zhang said: “The process we developed is different from most conventional thermochemical conversion processes. The entire process does not require the addition of a catalyst and does not require pre-drying of pig manure. Each conversion takes about 15 minutes and there is a strong return of energy during the process. Every time you put in a piece of energy, you have three times more output.†Researchers can convert 70% of volatile solids from pig manure into oil. According to Zhang, 20% of pig manure is solid, and the rest is mainly water. 90% of solid manure is organic and volatile. Only the volatile solids in swine manure can be converted into oil. Zhang said that the pig manure excreted in an average pig's life can be converted into 80 liters of crude oil. Zhang said: “The pig manure is easier to handle than raw materials such as wood sludge, because it has been biologically treated by pigs.†Zhang said that the process can also be applied to chicken manure or cow dung, of course, to make some minor changes. In theory, human excrement also applies to this system. After the conversion process is complete, the researcher will further process the crude oil and obtain refined oil with similar heating value as diesel fuel. As a recyclable energy source, swine manure extraction oil has huge environmental benefits. Through the conversion, the minerals are stored in the treatment system, the unpleasant odor is also reduced, and the biological oxygen required for the droppings is reduced by 70%. "Bio-oxygen needed for manure" refers to the oxygen absorbed by the pig manure from its surroundings in the process of decomposition. When manure enters the water supply system, it will absorb essential for fish, water plants and other organisms. Oxygen harms these aquatic organisms. Moreover, unlike oil, pig manure extraction oil does not use any additives. The next step of Zhang’s research team is to develop this batch method into a continuous production process in a pilot plant. In that way, the heat generated in the conversion process can be more efficiently recovered to reduce production costs; the reactor capacity may also be reduced to reduce investment costs; and automated control can also be put into use, reducing labor costs. Zhang said that this move may attract oil companies’ worries.
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