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View Full Version : There's power in them there cow pies!

CarolAnn
10-09-2007, 02:24 AM
http://www.electricnet.com/content/news/article.asp?docid=a678e999-6256-4c18-84a3-48352d1cad64

Sounds like an ideal farm operation to me!
annabella1
10-10-2007, 01:01 PM
I have been thinking a lot lately about methane. When I finally get a place I was thinking of setting up a methane batch digester (anaerobic digestion) inside of a compost heap (aerobic digestion) inside a hoop greenhouse to keep the heat in. I had heard of someone using the compost heap hoop greenhouse combination to heat all their hot waster and if it is efficient enough to do that then it would be efficient enough to keep the methane digester at the optimum temperature. I also read that methane can be used in anything that burns natural gas (natural gas is mostly methane) and there are plenty of natural gas electric generators out there. You also don't have to use animal poop to make methane you can use plant material but it needs to be wet and in an anaerobic environment. All the water that they use on that cow farm is a real waste.
kawalekm
10-16-2007, 02:54 AM
Recently, there was also a similar article about a combination cattle yard/ethanol distillery plant. Basicly, the cattle were fed partially on the left-over waste from corn mash that was used to produce ethanol. The biogas from the manure was then used to distill the ethanol. I think the future of energy production will be the integration of whole separate processes to reclaim as much of the energy as possible.

Here's an idea that I think might have potential for the future. Lets say you have an coal fired electrical plant. The hot exhaust gases from the smokestack can be used to distill ethanol that is fermented nearby. The cooled exhaust gas could then be bubbled through algal growth ponds which can be used for cattle feed or biodiesel production. There would be little wasted heat because its being used to heat additional processes downstream that require heat. Finally, greenhouse and smog gasses might be significantly reduced while at the same time be used to produce a marketable product.