The Mystery of the Exploding Manure Pits

The only thing worse than a huge stinking pit of manure may be a huge stinking and foaming pit of manure that blows up the barn. Over the past few years, explosions have destroyed several Midwestern pig farms, killing thousands of hogs and causing millions of dollars of damage. Pig farmers and scientists have been at a loss to explain these explosions. Could the culprit be a small microbe? Methane gas is a natural byproduct of bacteria living in manure pits. It's odorless (blame hydrogen sulfide for the unpleasant smell), colorless, and just so happens to be very flammable. There has been a recent uptick in reports of foam in these manure pits, rising as high as four feet. What's trapped in the little bubbles of foam? Methane, of course. With such a high concentration of flammable gas, all it takes is a little spark. The mystery is why these ...