Pork droppings to power China?

China's love of pork is a huge strain on the environment: its 700 000 million pigs produce 1.5 million tons of poo a year. But an Australian firm has a plan, Business Report writes.

Why not turn the poo into power? Using a bioreactor called PooCare and other technology, the manure is converted into biofuel for cooking and heating while the rest goes to farms as fertiliser.

“Pig waste contains a high level of nitrate, which in liquid form can contaminate ground water and in flake form can contaminate lakes, posing human health risks,” said Ravi Naidu, chief scientist at CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, whose bioreactor could significantly cut down the environmental impact of the waste, Pmf Legal reports.

Already, Chinese scientists and Hong Kong-based technology firm HLM Asia have taken part in developing the technology, which roughly costs around $36 400 for one bioreactor. Mass production would bring costs down, Naidu said.