Green Ice Cream?

Sun, 2011-02-06 17:39 — Angela

Anyone for a nice eco-sundae?

Picture courtesy: http://green-tea-powder.com

According to a recent report from Waterlink International food company, Unilever and "green energy" company, Paques are constructing a bio-digester at

the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory in Hellendoorn, the Netherlands, which will convert waste from the production processes into biogas to provide around 40% of the factory's green energy requirements. Bio-digesters are simple systems that take advantage of a natural process called anaerobic digestion, which is the process by which microorganisms break down material which is biodegradable in the absence of oxygen. It's a process that is used around the world to either manage waste or produce energy. Bio-digesters can be fairly low cost and simple or sophisticated and expensive, depending on the application and the type of waste being converted into gas. Many bio-digesters in Canada are used on farms to safely dispose of animal manure and provide an energy source that is used for heating barns or outbuildings. The by-products from the bio-digestion process can also be used, in some cases, as a natural fertilizer. Below are a couple of videos about how to make a bio-digester.