<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/city-turning-human-waste-to-clean-fuel-germany/>
"Every time somebody flushes a toilet in Mannheim, they contribute to
ecological shipping. Since March 2025, the German city’s wastewater treatment
plant has been feeding an experiment of global relevance: Transforming sewage
gases into green methanol, a cleaner, nearly-carbon-neutral alternative to
heavy fuel oil.
The pilot, known as Mannheim 001, is the first full case study of how human
waste can be captured, processed and converted into fuel powerful enough to
propel cargo ships across oceans. “It’s the first time the entire value chain —
from sewage to finished methanol — has been demonstrated,” says David
Strittmatter, co-founder of Icodos, the start-up behind the project.
At first glance, the pathway from toilet to tanker might seem implausible. But
the chemistry is straightforward. Wastewater plants produce sludge — the
thickened residue left after sewage is treated and cleaned. Mannheim’s plant
ferments this sludge in oxygen-free tanks, yielding biogas rich in methane and
carbon dioxide, which is usually burned for heat or flared off.
Icodos’ innovation is to clean and upgrade that gas. “The sewage gas is dried,
desulfurized, and then the carbon dioxide is separated from the rest,”
Strittmatter explains. Using renewable electricity, the captured carbon dioxide
is then combined with hydrogen through a catalytic process to form methanol — a
liquid fuel that can run ship engines with only minor modifications.
“Wastewater exists everywhere,” says Strittmatter, gesturing to a model plant
pinned on his office wall. “The sludge contains up to three times more energy
than the treatment process needs. We just usually waste it. Why not use it as
fuel?”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
