[russellinthedesert]

russellinthedesert asked the Naked Scientists:
   
You had a question asked last week about making electricity out of poo.

There are three easy ways to do this: make methane out of it, dry it and burn it in a steam generator (I already do these on my homestead), and pyrolize it, which means to heat it in the absence of air. When heated without air, the gases created are flammable and can be used to run an engine. What is left behind is charcoal, which can either be burned directly or heated and treated with steam to create "syngas" or "synthesis gas", which is carbon monoxide and hydrogen mixed together.

What do you think?

[CliffordK]

There is a more lengthy discussion about the topic here.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=40972.0