Denver zoo vehicle is powered by animal poop

The Denver Zoo has developed a motorized rickshaw that runs entirely on human trash and animal poop as a way to showcase the energy system developed for its new elephant exhibit. The vehicle uses 90 percent of the trash collected at the zoo and all of the collected animal droppings, the Denver Post reports. The waste is then compressed into pellets that are heated in an oxygen-free environment that causes them to give off a gas called syngas. When syngas is heated, it can be used to generate electricity. This is actually the second prototype energy generator. The first was the zoo's old margarita blender.