Plant to turn waste into fuel

ATLANTA, July 7 (UPI) -- An Atlanta company is building a facility in California that turns human waste into fuel that can run small power plants.

EnerTech Environmental Inc. says by the end of this year its plant east of Los Angeles will be ready to convert hundreds of tons of sewage sludge from local sanitation districts into a pellet-like substance dubbed "e-fuel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday.

The poop-to-power process is getting accolades from local officials and investors who say it could become a viable way to address high energy costs while simultaneously relieving sanitation systems.

The newspaper said Orange County and other local sanitation districts dispose of their sludge by trucking it to farms for fertilizing livestock feed crops or inedible plants.

Using high heat and high pressure to turn sludge into fuel was the brainchild of former Atlanta ad man Kevin Bolin and his 92-year-old grandfather, the Journal-Constitution said.