Pig waste turned into to Oil ---- Oil Addiction Methadone Therapy?

[iconoclastNYC]

Waste to resource solves two problems at once. This is a lot like the CO2 scrubber that make ethanol. Ingenius. Why isn't the Dept Of Energy throwing money at this?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0701_040702_pigoil.html

Crude oil and gasoline prices are near an all-time high. But don't despair. One scientist has found an alternative source of energy: pig manure. The process, called thermochemical conversion, uses heat and pressure to break down carbohydrate materials and turn waste into liquid.

For now, each half-gallon (two-liter) batch of manure converts to only about 9 ounces (0.26 liter) of oil.

"If 50 percent of U.S. swine farms adopted this technology, we could see a 1.5-billion-dollar reduction in crude oil imports every year," Zhang said. "And swine producers could see a 10 percent increase in their income—about $10 to $15 per hog."

Each conversion takes about 15 minutes, and the process has a strong energy return. "For every one portion of energy in, you get three portions of energy out," Zhang said.


Simply getting rid of manure is a big business. "It's a negative-cost material to us," Zhang said. "People are willing to pay for you to use it."

As a renewable energy, pig oil has great environmental benefits. Minerals are preserved in the treatment system, odor is reduced, and the biological oxygen demand of manure is reduced by 70 percent.

"For me, it's primarily an environmental thing," Zhang said. "We have to look to renewable or alternative energy. We know that eventually we can't keep digging up petroleum oil."

We must aggressively fund and persue all alternative energy avenues. Until they get Fusion right there is no magic bullet that will solve the energy crisis.

Where in the hell is the Manhattan project for energy independance?

[Rick Myers]

1. Sounds like Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

[YOY]

6. "Methane Cometh from Pigshit..."

You got that right...

[bmbmd]

7. BarterTown

is pig shit.

[warrens]

2. talk about win-win

Get rid of at least a large part of pig waste that is infiltrating ground water in several states (NC and Iowa, mainly) AND develop fuel cheap. Very interesting article, thanks for the link.

[Skidmore]

3. Our local NPR station had a local talk program hosting a

man who produces his own biodiesel fuel. He can only produce it in limited quantities and not for resale. Said that biodiesel producers in this state have a difficult time obtaining a stamp to allow them to produce. The government is actively seeking to squelch fuel production of anything other than petroleum based products.

[flamin lib]

4. In the State of the Union speech Bush promised to expand

renewable power. The next day the DOE laid off research scientists working on renewable power.

Rep Joe Barton (R TX district 6) has written a letter to Venezuela bitching about the discount in their CITGO oil exports to the US calling it a danger to national security.

The Administration wants to sell off National forest lands for a $ billion when they are waiving $7 billion in royalties in oil and gas pumped from those lands.

The Energy Bill passed in 2005 gave $6 billion in tax cuts to the Petroleum industry when they made record profits of over $100 billion last year.

Can any of these Republican bastards pass the No Child Left Behind mandatory math test?

[madokie]

5. here's another link on subject

http://www.mindfully.org/Energy/2003/Anything-Into-Oil1may03.htm

[benburch]

8. Republicans can also be thrown into the process.

They are even more full of shit than the other swine.

[Talismom]

9. LOL! Thank you. I really needed a laugh today! n/t

[linazelle]

10. Nice....but the thought of the smell...peeeyewwww. nt

[iconoclastNYC]

11. The article says that there is no smell.