Never thought I would say WOW about anything related to poop

Created by Ramat Gan-based Paulee CleanTec company, AshPoopie earned patents in Europe and the United States. It is coming to US pet shops in 2012. The cost of AshPoopie hasn't yet been determined, but it is expected to be relatively inexpensive. A monthly supply of capsules will cost $10 to $20, depending on the size of the dog.

Paulee CleanTec is already looking to the future of the invention, planning to apply it to cat litter boxes and human waste treatment systems.

The cat problem is even bigger than the dog problem because a litter box smells up the home if it is not cleaned every day. The ashes produced by AshPoopie would not need to be collected more than once a month, and they could be used to fertilize the garden.

The same technology has potential for transforming the unpleasant world of portable chemical johns and airplane, boat and train toilets into an odor-free and environmentally beneficial system. This system would separate feces from urine, sterilize the urine and use it to clean the toilet, and sterilize the feces and turn it into ash.

The flushing process would require no electrical source because the process of turning the waste into ash generates enough heat to convert it into energy to flush the toilet and perhaps provide lighting as well. The inventor envisions a backup energy source, such as a solar panel, to be installed on the system.

Paulee CleanTec is expecting to introduce its final AshPoopie design at the major pet products show in Orlando, Florida, at the end of February.

Source: Israel21c

I only wish they would come up with a better name!

From Greenhouse Gas to Biofuel

Marine-based algae, which are actually tiny plants, live on a diet of carbon dioxide and sunlight. Theoretically, an algae pond could produce 30 times more feedstock for biofuel than the land-based crop alternatives. However, so far nobody has been successful in figuring out how to do this in a cost-effective manner.

Approaching the challenge from a different direction, Seambiotic, an Israeli clean-tech company, offers a way for its partner power plant owners to see a return on investment for reducing carbon emissions immediately.

By sucking out power plant effluent and feeding it to algae -- filtering out heavy metals first, of course -- Seambiotic and its partners generate a healthy income by producing a valuable nutraceutical based on algae, which is especially popular in Eastern countries such as China.

Seambiotic's venture with Yantai Hairong Electricity Technology and Penglai Weiyuan Science Trading (both associated with China Guodian Corporation) involves a 500-megawatt power plant in eastern China, the fifth-largest such facility in the country.

The first commercial farm of 30 acres is expected to cost $10 million. It will be situated in Penglai utilizing carbon dioxide from the Penglai power station and is planned to become operational in the fall of 2011. The agreement contemplates additional farms to be established based upon a pre-agreed timetable.

For every 25-acre algae pond, Seambiotic can reduce 1% of the carbon dioxide being emitted from the power plant. The company could add as many as 10 pools per power plant, resulting in a 10% reduction of this greenhouse gas.

It is expected that the Penglai plant will be able to produce algae biomass to convert into fuel at prices competitive with traditional fuel by 2012.

Sources: Israel21c, Algae Industry Magazine