@blobbles — The Economy and Environment Program for SE Asia did a feasibility study for just such a program last year: www.gmanetwork.com/[...]

Not sure what stage the project's at now.

Blobbles, you're right about the massive amount of organic matter coming out of Dianchi. The biogas research platform I'm working with at YNNU has been studying the anaerobic digestion of water hyacinth for years.

Hey, Ben Underwood here, aka the Steve Merchant of Kunming.

Alien, to answer your question: the food waste that AD plants break down into CO2 and methane was once plants and animals that incorporated CO2 from the atmosphere. So AD plants don't add any NEW CO2 to the atmosphere.

In fact, by replacing fossil fuels, they reduce the net amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.