Powered by their four stomachs, the day could be coming when dairy cows and beef cattle pay their own electric bill just by letting their digestive systems work. This promising research and potential on-farm technology is part of a white paper report put together Dr. Cady Engler of Texas Agrilife Research, as reported by EnergyCurrent News on the Energy Current website. To read the article click here.
According to Dr. Engler, the amount of potential energy available from manure would easily surpass the amount of energy needed on the farm per cow, per day. Engler’s paper, entitled “Energy Usage Survey of Dairies in the Southwestern United States” will be presented at the Texas Animal Manure Management Issues Conference, which will take place September 29-30, 2009 in Round Rock, Texas. Engler’s research did not account for the energy costs of transporting milk for processing or to the market places.
Speakers at the conference will also present technologies currently available or in the testing stage that convert animal waste into energy, as well as ways to make these technologies more efficient. Currently, Engler, along with Drs. Sergio Capareda and Saqib Mukhtar, both agricultural engineers for Agrilife, have developed mobile conversion units that can be taken directly to animal feeding operations and commercial dairies. The mobile units use both anaerobic digestion and gasification methods to capture energy and reduce animal waste. More information from Texas Agrilife Research can be accessed by clicking here.
