“Replacing oil-fired heating system with heat generated from waste from our own animals will hugely reduce our carbon footprint, and what better way than to make use of a material which is in abundant and continuous supply,” said Dr East.Ī statement added that since 2008, Marwell has reduced its carbon output by 77% and champions renewable schemes in the local community. The next phase of the biomass system is to provide heat to other buildings across the zoo and will benefit the Okapi, primates in Life Among the Trees, and staff who work in Grade 1 Listed Marwell Hall. Rainwater is harvested from the roof to water the plants within. The house’s roof is made from the latest ethylene tetrafluoroethylene technology, which offers natural light and provides good insulation.

The Tropical House’s resident animals include a Linne’s two-toed sloth, free-flying tropical birds and crocodile monitor lizards, as well as tropical plants, all of whom benefit from the warm humid environment. The boiler produces hot water which is fed into a 15,000 litre thermal store, before flowing underground to heat the zoo’s Energy for Life: Tropical House. Zoo keepers sweep up the zoo poo from the animal paddocks and enclosures each morning before a mini refuse truck collects the waste and transports it to the Energy Centre.Ī digger transfers the mixture of manure and bedding to a shredder for mixing, before it is then dried and pressed into briquettes, which are fed into the boiler. Since the Energy for Life: Tropical House opened in 2018, Marwell has been working with experts to build a solution using a blend of different technologies so that the zoo’s unique animal waste can be processed into briquettes to fuel the new biomass boiler efficiently. After the manure and bedding is shredded and mixed, it is dried and pressed into briquettes

Zebra 2 tropical house