Cow manure is a viable bioenergy source.
Manure from cows, pigs and chickens can undergo a chemical process to produce alternative energy. Farms in the United States, Vietnam, England and other countries are beginning to implement this idea. Now, pig manure can be processed into crude oil and cow manure can be chemically treated to become gas for stoves. Chicken manure can be processed to generate steam and ultimately electricity. Using animal manure as a fuel source may well be the wave of the future.
Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion, or the decomposition of manure without the use of oxygen, is a three-step operation. First, liquefying bacteria are added to manure in a sealed tank. Then, acid-forming bacteria are added. Methane-forming bacteria are next introduced into the tank, producing two end-products: methane gas and a low-odor effluent (or runoff).
Cow Manure
Cow manure was the first waste product to be used on small farms to generate methane gas and a composite ingredient. The cow dung is mixed with water and placed in a tank where it is digested. The gas produced is collected in a dome, and the solid material is diverted to a composite pit. The gas from the dome is routed via a pipeline to a gas stove or gas lamp. Systems such as this one may qualify for farm subsidies because of their sustainability and environmental impact.
Pig Manure
Scientists at the University of Illinois have successfully developed a process using heat and pressure that converts pig manure into crude oil. They are also very close to developing biodiesel fuel from pig manure. These uses of pig manure virtually eliminate the time-consuming and expensive manure disposal process and produces fuel instead. According to a 2010 article on the alternative energy site, Clean Technica, pig farm pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions would sharply decrease, and drinking water supplies would be protected in livestock farming areas if manure was utilized as an energy source.
Chicken Manure
Chicken manure has been found by scientists in South Carolina to have good potential for multiple uses. Anaerobic digestion (treating manure with chemicals and removing oxygen) can be used to produce electricity. Direct combustion (producing steam by a manure-heating process) can now produce electricity in turbine generators as well. Co-firing (which is heating manure with another fuel, like coal) is in the developmental stage, at the time of publication, and gasification (using heat, steam and pressure to produce a variety of fuels) has been perfected. There is even an electrical power plant in the State of Georgia that produces electricity from poultry manure.
Tags: alternative energy, Anaerobic digestion, bacteria added, Chicken manure, into crude, manure processed, manure with