crapie energy

[Technosoul]

Cows produce a lot of cow dung, and science is exploring ways to use all that crap which can be converted into fuels as an alternative for oil.

Although it would seem unlikely that enough cow dung could be collected to replace oil it helps out somewhat at some locations.

Mead Opens Nation's First Cow-Pie Ethanol Plant - Automotive News Story - KETV Omaha

Of course there are other animals that produce the same stuff, even if not a large as a cow pie. And perhaps they can create a genetic cow that produces more cow dung then our current cows do, like they might do to create cows that give more milk. And also they could use horse or import elephants to produce that energy source.

Perhaps people who are concerned about the environment or the high cost of gasoline can recycle their own human version of cow pie instead of flushing it away down the drain? Hey, every little bit helps, right?

California is planning to use cow dung to fuel homes, and one project reported by CNN today they are building a plant to provide fuel to 12 thousand homes using cow dung. This project if workable will lead to more plants here because we got a lot of cows in California. And that would add more profit to the farming industry.

PG&E Turns Cow Pie Into Cow Power - News Story - KNTV | San Francisco

This is perhaps not "breaking news" but new enough that some readers here might not have known about this "oil alternative".

So what do you think, is cow dung the wave of the future as a dependable source of alternative energy?

[Whilletal]

Well living on the prairie I have talked to old people who had stoves that burned either dung or corn cobs to heat the house in the winter so its not a new concept. I do wonder how we would feed all the cows though. Because of the ethanol plants there is already an impact on the availability of corn and its getting tighter and more expensive.

[Technosoul]

Quote by: Whilletal Well living on the prairie I have talked to old people who had stoves that burned either dung or corn cobs to heat the house in the winter so its not a new concept. I do wonder how we would feed all the cows though. Because of the ethanol plants there is already an impact on the availability of corn and its getting tighter and more expensive.

I think the plan is to use the same cows already being used for other purposes such as milk cows. Open range cows can chew wild plants.

I think this idea would be useful also for those who advocate expanding herds of buffalo. Many cows are rasied for beef, collecting their dung would be more difficult as it would be for Buffalo on the open range, but if their is money to be made someone will cash in on it by collecting dung and selling it to the energy people.

I also have a silly idea (hope Gallo does not mind). Human dung would also work, although I think viggie eating animals are best. (not sure about that). Anyway my silly idea is public restrooms where tolets are designed to collect human dung (sorry I do not like to use the common word) along with a way to get it transported to energy plants. That would be good also environmentally as human dung would not end up in the oceans nor those water recycling plants where we end up drinking it along with the drugs that the dung might contain.

[Court463]

I think that the idea of using crap from cows or otherwise is very intresting if not amusing. We could just fill up truck loads of cow crap at the feed lots, it would be really easy and it would get all the crap out of the feed lots that normally is just piled up for years and becomes a hilll of dirt with plants growing on it.

[Technosoul]

Quote by: Court463 I think that the idea of using crap from cows or otherwise is very intresting if not amusing. We could just fill up truck loads of cow crap at the feed lots, it would be really easy and it would get all the crap out of the feed lots that normally is just piled up for years and becomes a hilll of dirt with plants growing on it.

In the pioneer days when we used horse power the number one polution in a city was crap from all the horses. Which was deposited in the streets. And so they had men who were paid to go around and clean up all the horse crap.

Little did they know that someday that crap would replace horses as "pie power" (new name created by the news media). And that power source was right under their nose.

But at least they used cow dung in those cast iron stoves. I remember that cow dung contains a lot of straw like stuff, grass and weeds that were not fully digested. I do not know if that helps to make them burn better or not, compared to other kinds of shit.

The question is would anyone want to live close to a power plant that burns cow dung? I would imagine on a warm day that cause offensive oders.

[Whilletal]

Tehcnosoul in the Dakotas we have rest areas that are run on solar power for the lighting and the toilets are composting toilets. So I think the same technology could be incorporated into new construction and be done effectively and save the building owner money. It could be a win win situation.

[Technosoul]

Quote by: Whilletal Tehcnosoul in the Dakotas we have rest areas that are run on solar power for the lighting and the toilets are composting toilets. So I think the same technology could be incorporated into new construction and be done effectively and save the building owner money. It could be a win win situation.

Your state is taking a good lead in making use of modern technology.

Thanks for that in-put.

We might run into one complant. How many new jobs would this create (the use of cow dung)? The Democrats are advoating that alternative energy would create a lot of new jobs that can boost the economy.

The use of solar energy would open up new jobs and more plants would be needed. (as in a Clinton speech made in Ohio).

The idea that cows would replace human labor might be concidered as a negative. Of course it would not really be the case I guess because new kinds of plants would be constructed, people trained to operate them. Along with re-constructing public rest rooms (and perhaps some businesses that want to join the mission). More work and income for the farming industry.

I really think this is a great idea. Both for the reduction of use of fosil fuels but also for helping to create new jobs to replace those that have out-sourced.

In effect. Replacing poluting companies that do not want to be regulated for companies that are acturally environmentally friendly. That would likewise save taxpayers money because we would not have to pay out as much to try to regulated those "dirty" companies. And the dirty companies would have less lobby money to spend to influence government with (in the future).

Call me a dreamer, but I am not alone.

Thoughout history humans have had this kind of partnership with cattle, together the cows and us have been successful in establishing progress, without them we would not be where we are today. This will add another whole new to chapter that that story.

Using human waste (shit) would be a big advantage also. But I am not sure what science has got to say about that. Does it contain enough of the same chemicals as cow dung to make it practical for that purpose?

[Compugasm]

Quote by: Technosoul Using human waste (shit) would be a big advantage also. But I am not sure what science has got to say about that. Does it contain enough of the same chemicals as cow dung to make it practical for that purpose?

Check your local listings for Invention Nation this week. They had a segment about that, but I wasn't watching it closely enough to talk about it. I bet the episode will be repeated this weekend.

[Court463]

Quote by: Whilletal Tehcnosoul in the Dakotas we have rest areas that are run on solar power for the lighting and the toilets are composting toilets. So I think the same technology could be incorporated into new construction and be done effectively and save the building owner money. It could be a win win situation.

Yeah but our "rest stops" are more like outhouse that smell so bad you pass out when you go in them, everytime we go camping and boating, they have one of those bathrooms with the solar panels and composting toilets, i can't even go into it, i just go behind the building. lol. I think the idea has yet to be perfected.

I think in the Dakotas we just jerry riged some stuff together and called it a rest stop, they probably cost like $20 to build, lol.

[Technosoul]

Quote by: Court463 Yeah but our "rest stops" are more like outhouse that smell so bad you pass out when you go in them, everytime we go camping and boating, they have one of those bathrooms with the solar panels and composting toilets, i can't even go into it, i just go behind the building. lol. I think the idea has yet to be perfected. I think in the Dakotas we just jerry riged some stuff together and called it a rest stop, they probably cost like $20 to build, lol.

In California we have some restrooms that are neat, clean, and kept up, while at other locations they are (ecuse the pun) crapie. Especially the ones near parks or camping zones. Underfunding is a problem everywhere government makes it footprint.

The new Cow Pie project would need a lot of Pork to be successful, unless private industry is encouraged to take advantage of that potentially profitable investment.

More Pork for Cows (just kidding). This is not about rasing taxes or about get socialistic.

[Court463]

Umm literally pork? I don't get it.

[Technosoul]

Quote by: Court463 Umm literally pork? I don't get it.

No, pork is a political term used when tax money is spent for something special. A speical interest.

[Technosoul]

Five years away.

Prehistoric cow pies give company idea for biomass fuels.

Life sciences company moves into biofuels | Tech news blog - CNET News.com