This is BULLSHIT!
You might be wondering: has she completely lost her mind? Well, perhaps. But that is a topic for another day. This article will actually be about bullshit. More specifically, bullshit as a resource for making fabrics. Let me introduce you to Mestic. Mestic is an organisation that wants to do something about the manure problem. How they do this? By transforming animal manure waste into materials such as bio-textiles, bio-plastics and bio-paper.
Why is there a problem?
Across the globe, various countries are struggling with their manure surplus. Manure, in small doses, can benefit the soil. Due to its nitrogen and phosphorus it works as a fertiliser and hence, helps plants grow. However, as with everything, the amount is crucial. When the doses of manure get too big, manure can have negative repercussions on the air, on the solid and on the surface water. Next to the bad smells it produces, it can also lead to salmonella, algae blooms and E. Coli.
Preventing a manure surplus is to prevent negative outcomes sounds like the most logical thing to do, yet this is though to put into practice. The main source of manure are farm animals such as cows, which can produce around 150 pounds of manure daily. We use cows to provide us with milk and meat, in other words: cows produce food. This is where the problem comes in: people tend not to like it when somebody tries to change their eating habits.
The Craigslist of crap
One thing that is currently been done to solve the problem is the 'manure share'. In these programs, farmers share their manure with farmers and landscapers. This is a great, as it doesn't cost much but is perfect for farmers who have just a little too much manure. Giving farmers a place to bring the excess manure and helping gardeners by providing a natural and inexpensive soil fertiliser. However, this is not enough of a solution, as the surplus in manure, and hence the related environmental risk and health hazards, still exists. This is why various small organisations are trying to come up with innovative ways to limit the problem. One of these organisations is Mestic.
Mestic
Mestic creates bio-materials, such as bio-textiles, bio-plastics and bio-paper, out of manure. With their method, they convert cellulose found in manure into these biomaterials, which are ready to be processed into any kind of products. They give a short introduction about the concept in the video above.
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References:
Bobby Born. (2016, June 23). Mestic [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W--MlGshimYDanovich, T. (2014). What to do with all of the poo? Retrieved from: http://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/manure-usa/
Essaïdi, Jalila. (n.d.). Mestic. Kleding en bioplastic gemaakt van koeienmest [Translation: Mestic. Clothes and bioplastic made of manure]. Retrieved from: https://www.voordewereldvanmorgen.nl/duurzame-projecten/mestic-kleding-en-bioplastic-gemaakt-van-koeienmest
