Community | July 24, 2008 | 35 comments

Cow power could generate electricity for millions, US study shows

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?menuId=6370&menuItemId=-1&view=PICHEADLINESUMMAR...

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goldenways
Cow manure could be used to generate power for millions, according to a new US study.

Scientists have calculated for the first time how much of a country's electricity needs could be provided from the manure of cattle and other livestock.

They estimate that 3 per cent of America's total electricity demand could be created from animal waste, enough to power millions of homes and businesses.

Using manure for power could also lead to a significant reduction in the amount of greenhouse gases created, they say.

The study, by scientists at the University of Texas, is published in the Institute of Physics' Environmental Research Letters journal.

Broken down and then burnt, the scientists estimate that the manure from hundreds of millions of livestock in America could produce approximately 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

If left to decompose naturally manure releases noxious gases into the environment, some of which warm the atmosphere at a higher rate than carbon dioxide.

Converting it to power could reduce those emissions by 99 million metric tonnes, the equivalent of approximately four per cent of America's emissions from electricity production.

Although the process would emit some carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it would do so at a lower rate than if coal was used.

Dr Michael Webber and Amanda D Cuellar, who carried out the study, claim that widespread use of manure for energy could reuse "an existing waste source and has the potential to improve the environment".
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35 comments // Cow power could generate electricity for millions, US study shows

  • passjay
  • WorldPeaceTV
  • mundosanto
  • Ricky84
    • 0
      Ricky84  
    • mundosanto:

      That video definitely gets two thumbs down in my opinion. Their viewpoint, simply put, is this method is not productive or lucrative. It also attempts to frame the technology as if its in development or not viable at the moment. They couldn’t be further from the truth.

      Countless scientific studies (including this one http://www.epa.gov/agstar/pdf/nydairy2003.pdf) have documented real world digesters, their cost, the revenue generated and their environmental benefits. The most important aspect to consider when comparing their findings and your video is that your video questions whether raising cattle for fuel is lucrative. When someone asks this question I wondered if

      A Their high out of their mind

      Or

      B They’re a secret vegan agent.

      I don’t believe there is anyone in this world who is seriously entertaining the idea of raising cows solely to produce fuel. The whole point of this process is to take advantage of the cows that are already being used as food.

    • 3 years ago
  • iah
  • Bigdog_mike
  • Egnatius212
  • constantdisregard
  • MeganMcKenzie
    • 0
      MeganMcKenzie  

    • I am not a fan of genetically engineered food no matter how good it sounds. Ten years from now we will learn why this was not such a good idea.

    • 3 years ago
  • shadowtrekker
  • NFUSA
    • 0
      NFUSA  

    • While many may think that harnessing energy from manuer would be gross, we have reached a point in time in which we need to encourage and implement many more potential solutions to our growing energy and economic crises.

    • 3 years ago
  • Ricky84
    • 0
      Ricky84  
    • Image

    • The process is called anaerobic manure digestion and it does more then just create a cleaner energy source. After all the methane is extracted from the manure you can then use it as fertilizer. As an added bonus this organic fertilizer requires only a small amount of herbicide since most of the seeds and plant matter decomposes in the methane extraction process.

      So when you use this technology you can not only generate your own power but you minimize the chance of none source pollutants. Another benefit from this system is that you now have a sustainable method for producing food for your livestock. When the extracted methane is burned you can collect the co2 and use it to produce algae cakes for food.

      Algae cakes are incredibly nutritious and easier for cows are other livestock to eat. Algae can also be used to create bio diesels and oil to run and maintain farm equipment. All of this technology is available and being perfected at his moment. Handshake I can assure you none of the scientists involved in this process are trying to sweep our environmental problems under the rug.

    • 3 years ago
  • Dmitri_Molotov
  • vitalmaggi
    • 0
      vitalmaggi  

    • If they could do this with cows then they should do it with human waste as well! Better than contaminating the fishes with our defecation.

    • 3 years ago
  • Allsunday
    • 0
      Allsunday  
    • vitalmaggi:

      We do actually have systems you can install in a house that will convert human waste into power for your home. Unfortunately, they're still pretty expensive to install and upkeep, so that keeps them from becoming more popular.

    • 3 years ago
  • bluestranger
  • Bren589
  • Allsunday
  • onechance
  • onechance
    • 0
      onechance  

    • Yeah, since red meat eaters aren't going stop their disgusting eating habits, (sadly) this is an option...

      I say GO VEG! then use solar/wind/algae oil/etc instead, but alas, it's not a perfect world.

    • 3 years ago
  • Allsunday
    • 0
      Allsunday  
    • onechance:

      You know...theoretically, let's just say that everyone did give up meat and the meat industry died with no ill effect on health or the economy...

      What are you going to do with all those cows?

    • 3 years ago
  • bluestranger
  • Allsunday
  • bluestranger
    • 0
      bluestranger  
    • onechance:

      That be the answer in my state Allsunday.. Sorry onechance. Btw, onechance saw the article on the Gubenator slashing state wages. Isn't the budget shortfall the excuse they used to recall Grey Davis? I'm not going to comment since I don't live there.

    • 3 years ago
  • Allsunday
    • 0
      Allsunday  
    • onechance:

      Sounds delicious to me! I'll bring cornbread and salad.

      Grey Davis was one of those politicians that threw money at everything, whether or not we had any. He created a huge budget deficit, and honestly, you can say a lot of things about the Governator, but he's done pretty well budget-wise considering that he's been trying to pull us out of Grey's debt the entire time he's been in office.

      Whether or not you agree with slashing state wages, the fact is we still have a bloated bureaucracy despite all his cuts, so paying our excessive number of state workers less might not be a bad thing, economy-wise. I doubt they're very fond of it, though. Honestly, I think we'll just have to wait and see what the outcome is before we can decide whether or not this was a good move.

      But now we are very, very off-topic! :)

    • 3 years ago
  • onechance
    • 0
      onechance  
    • onechance:

      The cows will die within about 6 months because they are overfed so badly. They should be fed to people in need, and NOT re-produced. You should watch "King Corn" to learn a little about the terrible condition of our food supply via corn-fed beef/high fructose corn syrup/etc.

      As far as Davis, I'm no authority, it did seem however that the deficit was somewhat pinned on him, when the REAL problem was at the Federal level. Misappropriation of funds (to the Pentagon etc) from every state screwed up MOST budgets when Davis was Gov.

      Arnold is a corporate tool. He met with Ken Lay just before the Enron dump, he's Bush's right hand California douche...

      I'm so sick of people that claim to be pro-environment but they "they can't help it" when it comes to consumption of something that's quite possibly one of the most damaging things humans produce (beef)...

    • 3 years ago
  • Becky6378
    • 0
      Becky6378  
    • onechance:

      "All those cows" have been bred in factory farms for people to eat. They don't naturally reproduce that way. Stop breeding them, let the flesh eaters eat up the last of the factory farmed, tortured animals that have been shot up with hormones their entire lives...then close the places down!

    • 3 years ago
  • Allsunday
    • 0
      Allsunday  
    • onechance:

      Well I'm sick of people telling me I can't be pro-environment because I'm not a vegan. It's almost as if every time someone brings up the existence of grass-fed free-range local beef, you selectively don't hear them.

    • 3 years ago
  • Dmitri_Molotov
  • Bigdog_mike
  • Ricky84
    • 0
      Ricky84  
    • onechance:

      I can’t stand when Vegans and vegetarians take the moral high ground and ignore this technology. Its pretty ironic when our environmental super hero’s ignore the confirmed environmental benefits of this process because of their own moral issues with meat.

    • 3 years ago
  • Allsunday
  • bluestranger
    • 0
      bluestranger  

    • It follows that since there are plenty of us omnivores that think bovine protein is tasty, we might as well reduce the carbon footprint. Good thought shelchak. O.K., time for all you veagens to dine on my carcus.

    • 3 years ago
  • handshakeheartbreak
    • 0
      handshakeheartbreak  

    • The thing about this is that it's in support of the meat industry. It's an improvement to the environment in the sense that we're destroying it and covering our tracks by reducing the rate at which we destroy it.

    • 3 years ago
  • shelchak
    • 0
      shelchak  

    • Hmmm... I'd rather use it to help compost the midwest, and use an energy source that gives off NO carbon dioxide. GO SOLAR!! GO WIND!!!

    • 3 years ago
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