And we Thought Dirt Floors were iffy: Poop floors
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.12.07
Dirt floors are making a comeback, but Researchers in Michigan are working on floors made out of cow manure. As we know, there is a huge management problem with factory farm waste disposal (like 1.5 to 2 trillion pounds of it per year). Large livestock operations are now building anaerobic digesters to treat it, with byproducts of methane gas, "liquid fertilizer" and "semisolid plant residue." By mixing the residue with other fibers and resin, and then applying heat and pressure, a new kind of fiberboard is born. "It appears that the fibers interlock with each other better than wood," said Charles Gould at Michigan State's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "We end up with, I think, a superior material." Others are not so sure. Said an economist at the trade's Composite Panel Association-"Is this something you're going to bring into the house?" ::Wired ::MSU Today
