PAUSE for thought the next time you take a swig from a plastic bottle. In
future, that bottle may be made from manure.
Making products such as plastics and antifreeze from animal waste would have
big environmental and economic benefits, say researchers at the Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington.
Because farm animals, especially cows, don’t digest their food completely,
their manure is rich in carbohydrates and proteins, they say. The carbohydrates
could be separated out and converted into chemicals such as glycols and diols,
which are used to manufacture antifreeze and certain plastics. Proteins could
also be…
