posted April 13, 2004 10:28 AM         

URBANA, Ill. - A University of Illinois research team is working on turning pig manure into a form of crude oil that could be refined to heat homes or generate electricity.

Years of research and fine-tuning are ahead before the idea could be commercially viable, but results so far indicate there might be big benefits for farmers and consumers, lead researcher Yanhui Zhang said.

"This is making more sense in terms of alternative energy or renewable energy and strategically for reducing our dependency on foreign oil," said Zhang, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "Definitely, there is potential in the long term."

The thermochemical conversion process uses intense heat and pressure to break down the molecular structure of manure into oil. It's much like the natural process that turns organic matter into oil over centuries, but in the laboratory the process can take as little as a half-hour.

A similar process is being used at a plant in Carthage, Mo., where tons of turkey entrails, feathers, fat and grease from a nearby Butterball turkey plant are converted into a light crude oil, said Julie DeYoung, a spokeswoman for Omaha, Neb.-based Conagra Foods, which operates the plant in a joint venture with Changing World Technologies of Long Island, N.Y.

Converting manure is sure to catch the attention of swine producers. Safe containment of livestock waste is costly for farmers, especially at large confinement operations where thousands of tons of manure are produced each year. Also, odors produced by swine farms have made them a nuisance to neighbors.

"If this ultimately becomes one of the silver bullets to help the industry, I'm absolutely in favor of it," said Jim Kaitschuk, executive director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association.

Zhang and his research team have found that converting manure into crude oil is possible in small batches, but much more research is needed to develop a continuously operating reaction chamber that could handle large amounts of manure. That is key to making the process practicable and economically viable.

Zhang predicted that one day a reactor the size of a home furnace could process the manure generated by 2,000 hogs at a cost of about $10 per barrel.

Big oil refineries are unlikely to purchase crude oil made from converted manure, Zhang said, because they aren't set up to refine it. But the oil could be used to fuel smaller electric or heating plants, or to make plastics, ink or asphalt, he said.

"Crude oil is our first raw material," he said. "If we can make it value-added, suddenly the whole economic picture becomes brighter."

Do you think the big companies will allow this to develope?

posted April 16, 2004 02:57 PM         

juniperb

posted April 17, 2004 01:03 PM         

juniperb

posted April 17, 2004 01:08 PM         

Eleanore, have you ever been down wind of a pig farm ? I tell you, I`m praying for the manure fuel so they`ll empty out more often and quit liquifing it and spreading it all over their fields... peeyyyuuu, it enough to burn your nose hairs to a crisp.

juniperb

posted April 17, 2004 08:02 PM         

Ah, maybe spring has just went to my head

posted April 18, 2004 01:10 AM         

I did ask, then edited it out ~ I thought maybe I should ask in your thread in the Health forum (I forgot to bump it up though). I've been really tired, dealing with insomnia for the last five days, so I'm feeling practically brain dead at times (case in point: I just tried to make the brackets work by hitting the space bar, rather than the shift button, and wondered what on earth was going on ~ I did it more than once ). The animals are all doing fine, thank you, we had a scare with our budgie, but he's doing a lot better now. I'm glad your back is improving.

posted April 18, 2004 09:05 AM         

I understand what you mean about meat eating and the use our four leggeds. Living in farm country, I see both sides of the picture. I would see nothing wrong in farmers raising livestock for poop. It wouldn`t necessarily mean they were raised for food. Farmers have gotten a bad rap and not all are the money hungry, animal abusing, terrors we hear of on the news.It`s the little farmers out there that genuinely care for their animals and make them their priority.

Your ideal is an honorable one and one I hold dearly. I`ve simply learned that all we can do is teach not preach (you didn`t!! just me sharing my practice ). I believe the goal is NOT unrealistic, it will occur After all, we can move S

juniperb

posted April 18, 2004 09:14 AM         

I`m glad Budgie is back on his perch

Maybe the Merc RX is playing around with you. Now that it`s spring & getting nice out, I don`t want to sleep but keep on digging, weeding and dreaming about the beautiful summer blooms.

This week I`ve been taking Valerian at night to unwind & it`s worked so well. It`s been helping my back muscles to relax and I`m getting a good nights rest. Have you tried it?

Love to you & the four leggeds.

juniperb