Company uses manure to generate natural gas used to heat homes

[Robbien]

A company is using the cow manure at a Rupert dairy farm to generate natural gas used to heat homes.

Intrepid Technology and Resources, based in Idaho Falls, hopes to have its system in operation as soon as next month so it can sell the gas to Intermountain Gas Co. in Boise.

The company expects to generate enough gas to heat 900 homes a year.

Intrepid uses an anaerobic digester at the dairy farm to convert cow manure into methane gas. It refines the gas enough so it can be used as a natural gas.

An Intermountain Gas spokesman said the natural gas utility still must test the quality of Intrepid’s gas before putting it in the pipeline.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060718/NEWS02/60718017/1029/NEWS02

[NJCher]

1. this might be better in the environment forum

Just a suggestion.




Cher

[Robbien]

3. I thought about it, but

there are many people who don't know this is not just a conservation project which will perhaps happen sometime in the future when the technology gets worked out. This is actually happening. As the article states it is going to go into production next month. Which makes it late breaking news. What makes it odd is that it is good late breaking news and we get so little of that these days.

[WePurrsevere]

12. I agree. although similar topics have been & are being discussed in....

the Environmental/Energy area it's also good to have this type of new development posted out where it's probably more visable. B-)

[rucky]

2. We could excavate the White House

and have enough manure to power New York.

Seriously, tho: definately renewable, but I don't see methane production improving our air quality any.

[WePurrsevere]

10. From what I understand methane gas is less harmful to the environment.....

after it's been burned then if it's just released raw as a greenhouse gass into the atmosphere as it normally would be.

It's still not a perfect nor harmless alternative but since we're going to have it anyway we might as well use it... it's certainly a very renewable source of energy if we tap into all of it's sources (landfill's, livestock farms, septic/sewage, pets, DC ;), etc.)

The BIG thing is that if we're going to burn methane gas, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we need to balance it out with increased plant life... heck we should be planting more plants every where we can anyway to help Mother Nature repair and properly balance the environment. B-)

[liberal N proud]

4. Many city landfills burn off the methane gas that escapes from landfills

I have long wondered why they couldn't capture that gas and use it for heating.

I know of several small cities in the midwest where the landfills are piped to capture the gas and burn it off. What a waste of a byproduct.

[KoKo]

8. National Geographic Mag. had an article many years ago about using

methane from Garbage Dumps. The technology seemed to be there to do it...but nothing happened. Maybe too expensive when gas was cheap at the pump.

[KoKo]

9. Why couldn't the NC Pig and Chicken AgriBusiness farms use this

process? As it is there are holding pits that spill over whenever there is a hurricane or flooding. Why not use the waste from this for gasolene.

I wish those farms would shut down...but as long as they are there they could be doing some good with the waste for all the cruelty they are doing to the animals.

[fjc]

5. "Pig shit maketh methane."

[Sin]

6. Who runs Barter Town?

:)

[file83]

14. Master Blaster!

[AngryAmish]

18. Two man enter, one man leave!

[patricia92243]

7. Do you know if this could be done with hog runoff? That is a big problem

in lots of places -especially my state - NC. That would be a great way to make use of something that is so destructive.

[WePurrsevere]

11. Yes, it could be.... that creates methane gas as well. --->

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html
http://tammi.tamu.edu/faqs.html
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/ebae071_80.html

B-)

[IDemo]

13. More on this from the Boise Weekly->

Wildcatting in the Cow Pies

[happydreams]

15. Bullshit!

We've finally found a use for it! :bounce:

[VegasWolf]

16. Bush himself could probably heat half the country. nt

[Cerridwen]

17. LOL

:rofl:


Thank you!

:rofl:

[stepnw1f]

19. We Should Start Herding Neo-Cons

They talk enough shit.