[UncoveringTruths]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')YRACUSE, New York (AP) -- The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is looking to become the first zoo in the nation to be powered by its own animal waste -- particularly the prodigious piles produced by its pachyderms.

[Free]

That brings up another great idea for an infinite energy source! Just burn all the bullsh*t that economists produce!

[ArimoDave]

If they do it right, its one step that will make a tiny amount of difference. Lots of drops will eventually fill a bucket. If they do it wrong, they will wind up creating less energy, and/or more impact on the environment than they currently do. Let's hope that whomever is looking into the problem, is unbiased toward a particular kind of generator.

ArimoDave

[Graeme]

College harnesses cow pat power

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he dairy cows at Walford and North Shropshire College are housed for eight months a year and their dung is collected and pumped into a digester.

Here it is heated to a temperature of 35C (95F) - the temperature at which methane producing bacteria are made.

The methane produced is then fed into an engine which runs on the gas and is attached to a generator which produces electricity.

The technology is used at more than 1,000 farms in Germany but only at a handful in the UK.

[gg3]

Poo Power! Excellent.

Question is, what type of engine is used to run on the methane?

And, could the methane be put to better use for direct heating applications, such as hot water heating, than going through two conversion steps (into mechanical energy and then into electricity)?

Our community will probably have a couple of dairy cows in the mix, along with work horses (eventually) and the usual assortment of rabbits & chickens (sooner). I assume horse manure has equal value as a fuel source, but what about rabbit and chicken droppings, human manures (composting toilets), and so on? And, does the compost value decline after the methane has been extracted, or is the remaining material still useful as a fertilizer?

[EnergySpin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', ' ')And, does the compost value decline after the methane has been extracted, or is the remaining material still useful as a fertilizer?

[Frank]

I would expect that any type of internal combusion engine would burn methane although changes in fuel/air mixtures might be required. Heating would be a good use if there was an ongoing need for heat. I would think that one advantage of generating electricity is that it could be sold into the grid (effectively a giant battery) as it's generated which eliminates storage/timing issues.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', 'P')oo Power! Excellent.

Question is, what type of engine is used to run on the methane?

And, could the methane be put to better use for direct heating applications, such as hot water heating, than going through two conversion steps (into mechanical energy and then into electricity)?

Our community will probably have a couple of dairy cows in the mix, along with work horses (eventually) and the usual assortment of rabbits & chickens (sooner). I assume horse manure has equal value as a fuel source, but what about rabbit and chicken droppings, human manures (composting toilets), and so on? And, does the compost value decline after the methane has been extracted, or is the remaining material still useful as a fertilizer?