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Manure, farm waste, cow poop. It's
a waste issue for farmers that is increasing in cost. "A dairy farm can
spend $200 per cow per year to handle its manure." Scientists are finding
a new use for the stuff: making building products.
Researchers at Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been testing different kinds of particleboard, fiberboard and extruded lumber made from manure. The waste is first processed in an "anaerobic digester" which breaks down the manure in a contained fashion. Methane gas and liquid fertilizer are the useful byproducts that come from this process, and now, the solid component is finding a use.
The product is being manufactured using processed, sterilized manure in place of wood chips. Combining the material with resins and applying heat and pressure, as is done with the wood-based versions of these products, results in a board that has equal or better structural properties than the wood-based versions.
"It appears that the fibers interlock with each other better than wood," said Charles Gould at Michigan State's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "We end up with, I think, a superior material." (msnbc)
This is a literal example of a waste stream becoming a source of raw material for another process. We'll see if this becomes a viable commercial product or if the *ewwww* factor is just too much for consumers to bear.
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written by linda, April 10, 2007
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written by logan, January 17, 2008
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written by ..., March 23, 2009
i printed the picture adn put it on my wall
i'm koooooooolllllll DUDE
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written by pressure gauge, November 17, 2009
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Believe it or not, a San Francisco utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., has a program in place that captures, cleans and delivers the methane from cow poop to homes for heat! It's scheduled to become operational later this month. No lie!