Another Reason To thank Cows? What do You think?

Question

Cow Manure Could Be Cheap Alternative to Gas

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/PainAtThePump/story?id=2016420

Now they can multi-task

Cow Manure Could Be Cheap Alternative to Gas

May 29, 2006 — The secret to cheaper gas could lie in cow dung.

The Vehicle Research Institute of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., has been turning cow manure into fuel that can power a natural-gas car. Researchers are not shoveling manure straight into the gas tank but pumping the methane — a gas created by the manure — into the car.

They have some hard-working cows at a dairy farm in Lyndon, Wash., to thank for this experiment, which could mean cheaper car fuel for many people.

"We are talking about dairy cows," said Eric Leonhardt, an engineering technology professor and director of the Vehicle Research Institute. "So they are very well-trained. They go in one spot. They feed and do their business in one location. And then that material is pumped into a holding tank."

Answer 1

Yeah but manure actually contributes to GLOBAL WARMING! So it is still BAD................

Answer 2

they are also currently doing the same thing with pig p**p & human waste can be used the same way. so what else is new?

love your avatar btw

Answer 3

i heard about that before.

but how much money or resources is consumed pumping the manure into a truck, transporting the manure to the facility, letting it sit there, purifying it, then transporting it to a fueling station?

if it can truly be sold at 1/5 gas prices.(here in texas its 3.25/g therefore making the natural gas alternative $0.65/g) then sure more power to em getting them on the road. heck honda has the Civic GX NGV that runs off natural gas. so i'll get that if it proves most efficient

Answer 4

We have an organics facility here in Edmonton that stores all organic wastes and collects the methane gasses produced by decomposition to power turbines for electricity.

Answer 5

I think we need to thank cows for being so tender and delicious. For those cows that cannot commit to being tender and delicious, it's off to the methane p**p fuel factory for hard labor!

Answer 6

Cows= Beef (Good), Milk (Good), Leather (Good) and Manure (Good)

Global Warming Groupies = Hot Air (Bad)

Answer 7

Yes, I totally agree! Every day, with my car when I need a refill on 'gas', I'll go to a 'gas' station and pump it in my car! Excellent man!

Answer 8

The only 3 reasons

Milk

Beef

Leather

why use manure when we have petrol, id rather do a little damge to the earth than use drive on sh*t

Answer 9

Serious amounts of methane from cow waste contribute a great deal to air pollution and ozone layer depletion. I don't know if it's the greatest of ideas. I wish the oil industry would let go of their monopoly and allow for the re-release of electric cars already. For now, I think hybrids are the best we've got.

Answer 10

They can also use pig ****, chicken ****, and turkey ****.

Answer 11

while i have no problem with cows for their contribution to our lives & lifestyles they do what we do [ie eat & poo] surely the best way to go is ORGONE energy we just need to understand & learn more about it no danger [when set up properly ] . No harmful emissions & the use of technologies that we already have. With no need for extreme change surely this has to be the way to go, helping ourselves to help the planet & no losers anywhere in the whole equation with little or no cost after setup.Browns gas could work much the same, or the hydrogen fuel cells that are now being developed, How dumb are we humans that we have to virtually kill our planet before we will willingly change & then we do it with umbridge [Smart species we humans hey]

Answer 12

We need to drive more and care less about alternative fuels.  The Lord Above Almighty put fossil fuels on this earth for us to consume.  If Jesus was alive today he would be driving a lowered and pimped-out Cadillac Escalade.  

Yes to fossil fuels and NO to hippy energy!

Answer 13

i'm not liking my cow right now. he rammed into my ribs with his horns thinking he's boss.

Answer 14

ah luverly muck!

biodigestion is the way forward for farm residues and household waste. we have many small plants here, its much more efficient than combustion, and you get a super safe compost as a co-product. yum.

and no, it doesnt smell any worse than methane made any other way (still pretty awful lol!)

Answer 15

Our township already buys electricity made this way.

For people worried about the smell, methane has no odor. It is the other gasses mixed with it that make it smell S****y.

Answer 16

Thank you Bossy!  Depending on the smell if I would use it or not.  Although the price might convince me.

Answer 17

ewww they taste bad!