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Denver Zoo won't turn elephant poo into energy

Posted at 10:52 PM, Sep 25, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-26 00:52:26-04

The Denver Zoo is scraping off plans to convert animal waste into energy, saying it does not have the money to complete the project at this moment. 

“This was a difficult decision. The adoption and implementation of a new technology is a challenging and capital intensive process," said Denver Zoo President and CEO Shannon Block. 

The Waste to Energy System would have made it possible to convert trash and animal waste, such as dung from elephants, into clean energy in a safe way by a process known as gasification. This process would have allowed the zoo to lower their landfill contribution to about 90%, according to Denver Zoo spokeswoman Tiffany Barnhart. 

The Denver Zoological Foundation said in a statement that it will now seek partners to complete the development of the technology behind its planned Waste To Energy technology off-site. 

"We?remain?hopeful that?the story of?this innovative technology will?continue?with new partners and renewed passion,” said Senior VP for?Design & Campus Management George Pond.? 

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