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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1978)
. Methane gas *4 . & . trom animal "utional fwen-d] '•'furs oiij d road, By MARTHA HOLLIDA The energy shortage and the con- 'e^Wrn for management of livesttx-k me wim wastes has created an interest in ges dri Jethane gas production from live- steDi Jock manures. ofanajjB “It is completely a biological pro- Jss,” said Dr. Donald Reddell, 'urself nlpxas A&M professor of agriculture rred, asilngineering, specializing in animal waste management. 2s andi(||Converting animal wastes to involved njethane gas involves two groups of e who»®tteria present in the waste. The first group breaks down waste com ets t 0 || guilds into soluble fatty acids. The stigatesi® ler 8 rou P °f bacteria (which are mit to It ?® ero bi c °r work without oxygen) es. Malt e o nvert f he fatty acids into methane tme, h; g as an< i carbon dioxide. || Anerobic digestion baa been used liali|E r a number of years in sewage ^at yoiuM 5atment > but has only been used i lies an Mice ^ le b)60s for treatment of ani- :nt. Eve;® 31 manure. ire injuifl' In lh e early I97()s people begiui ngadottj 0 ^ 11 ? into animal waste products ie circncH an energy source,” said Richard e aeddr^ffi' graduate student and research veathen *4 istant idenceiw^ 6 major uses of methane gas ite speed'F'' ^ or s P ac e heating and generating ’antdetii ^betneity. On farms it can be used e of (lie hi crop drying, irrigation and oper- possible, wian of feed mi 11s. acement* ^ * ot ^d) studies have been ■ndut-ted with one-ami two-gallon ;nt toi:F‘ LSte digestors to establish operat- e prompt’® conditions and performances of ichno®, erent of manures,” Egg I JAII types of livestock wastes can icy m J processed into methane gas. It ■ accideil® 68 waste °f f° u r dairy cattle to ■oduce the equivalent of one gallon Up rmi ll gasoline. Poultry waste can be ritinsl(| nVerte d t ^ c most efficiently, fol- dl accidfi®^ hy that of dairy cattle, swine made manure THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15. 1978 Page 7 h excctdii hd beef cattle. mount, riod is y fromii you tk and pni jResearch into the gas conversion process is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, various universities, extension offices and cattle organizations. Texas A&M has been involved in methane gas production for a year and a half. A digestor is set up at the College of Veterinary Medicine that is capa ble of producing 30 cubic feet of gas a day, Reddell said. He added that the gas was 50 to 60 percent methane and the rest carbon dioxide. The manure is put in a pre-mixing tank and water is added to dilute it to 5 to 7 percent solids. The sludge, as its called, is then blended and pumped into the digestor, a 900 gal lon fiberglass tank. The sludge is then heated by hot water, that runs through coils below the digestor. A line removes the gas. “It is a sensitive process,” Egg said. “The environment for the bac teria is maintained best at 95 or 120 degrees Farehneit for maximum production. He added that the waste stays in the digestor for 15 days, hut some is added and taken out daily. The digestor was in operation at the vet school for four months last summer hut was shut down to make some mechanical changes and to evalute production results. “During the summer we let the gas exhaust into the air after measur ing its contents, hut in the future we hope to use the gas to incinerate the dead animals at the vet clinic,” Egg said. Waste left in the digestor can be used as fertilizer. “It can explode, it’s just like any other gas,” Reddell said. “We use all fiberglass and plastic equipment as a safety precaution and we have the digestor buried.” What about the economic outlook for the small farmer or rancher in terested such an operation? Reddell said that the capital costs were high and storing methane gas is difficult and expensive. “The digestor has to run con stantly to be at peak production and the individual has to either have a constant use for the gas or an elabo rate storage facility,” he said. Egg said,“For a plant capable of converting the wastes from 100 head of dairy cattle it can cost between $35,000 and $75,000. It just de pends on the individual and a lot of variables.” The University of Missouri has an operation that is capable of convert ing gas from the wastes of 5,000 to 10,000 head of hogs. The school has a storage system and uses the gas for heating purposes on the Missouri campus. “There is a privately-owned plant in Florida that can handle the wastes from 15,000 head of beef cat tle, Reddell said. “The gas is used for steam flaking their cattle feed and other management operations. The remainder is sold to a town as heating gas.” A plant was recently opened by Thermonetics, Inc. in Oklahoma that is designed to convert the wastes of 100,(KX) head of feedlot cat tle into gas. It’s then put directly on an interstate pipeline, which supplies natural gas to Chicago. “The energy crunch of 1973 really got animal producers interested in this process,’ Reddell said. He added that the economics of the process is a major drawback MANOR EAST 3 THEATRES MANOR EAST MALL 7:30-9:40 7:00-9:00 niiilional more it to worl y employ has iindt igibles porary be used testing p preside; vn that; ions correct, Jp %: '.ft! HEROES ENDS THURSDAY 7:15-9:35 heaven and eacth will pass away But my woods shall not pass away Based on Rie.book t> ORSON WELLES HAL LINDSEY A PACIFIC IMERNATIONAL ENTERPRISES RELEASE gS hat mat necessa -time ( 1. "The* - than lj started our been * s stead)* s happyl iyees W jndersti! directo: i andd r, whofl ;t with ;s“the»s survey son tun WEST Skyway Twin DEVIL S RAIN PLUS WITCH MOONSHINE COUNTY EXPRESS PLUS CANNONBALL RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN ALL SEATS ONLY $1.50 MANOR EAST STARTS FRIDAY The #1 best-selling novel is now a movie. eyiCOUNTERS • Of TH€ THIRD KIND • ACoAimbw^tatPs-ituiiii 0 rpn Keese gets award from space institute First place in an American In stitute of Aeronautics and As tronautics student paper compe tition has gone to Texas A&M Student David L. Keese. A certificate and bronze medal were presented him at the AlAA national meeting recently in Washington, D.C. Keese’s paper, “Zero Pressure Ralloon Design,” was chosen in the undergraduate division. Now Campus Names an Exxon production engineer at Midland, Keese becomes eligi ble to attend the 29th Interna tionale Astronautical Federation Congress in Yugoslavia this year. He graduated from Texas A&M last May. An aerospace engineering major, Keese did the work for his award-winning paper in the Un dergraduate Fellows Program. He earlier was one of seven re gional winners across the nation. Dr. James L. Rand of the aero space engineering faculty was Keese’s faculty advisor. 10 cadets receive ‘Distinguished’ status Distinguished Military Stu dent status has been announced for 10 additional Texas A&M seniors in the Army ROTC pro gram. DMS is a prerequisite to a Regular Army commission upon graduation according to Col. James R. Woodall, professor of military science. He announced the honorees. They are chosen on the basis of military science and academic class standing, summer camp performance and contribution to the Corps of Cadets. The new Distinguished Mili tary Students are Joseph C. Bu tler of Houston; Richard L. Chastain, Killeen; Thomas M. Dreier, College Station; Charles L. Greco, San Antonio; Kent R. McLemore, Jasper. Also, Kevin F. Patterson and William B. Stone HI, Colorado Springs, Colo.; William Y. Por ter, Waco; Robert M. Stone Jr., Seahrook, and Lee R. Wallace, Temple. FANTASY WORLD NOW HAS WATERBEDSI! New arrivals in smoking ac cessories. Water-pipes, Bong’s, Clips. 2919 Texas Ave. <ailBS0N’sl DISCOUNT CENTER! LONE STAR LONGNECKS $>129 case 1420 TEXAS AVENUE COLLEGE STATION GOOD INTENTIONS DONT GO FAR WITHOUT GOOD PEOPLE SIGN UP NOW FOR INTERVIEW SENIORS/GRADS PLACEMENT OFFICE RUDDER TOWER 10TH FLOOR REPS ON CAMPUS-MON.-WED., FEB. 20-22 Peace Corps VISTA BILLY BEER IS COMING! Schaffhauser Distributing Co. 101 Luther W. 846-7231 OPAS presents Texas Opera Theatre performing j\ohinson Crusoe Thursday, February 16, 1978 8:15 P.M. Rudder Auditorium Zone 1 Texas A&M Student $3.40 Regular $5.5o Zone 2 Texas A&M Student $2.75 Regular $4.40 Zone 3 Texas A&M Student $2.30 Regular..,.. $3.50 Tickets available at MSC Box Office 845-2916 AGGIE CINEMA Aggie Cinema Friday, February 17-Sunday, February 19 empo 1 cle. '% a into 1 kn<>"' r ifsl' 1 ’ thher miei’’ for se' t manai erved rking ffii th< e for PMAMQUNl PlCIUttSpwn* A FREDDIE FIELDS PRODUCTION LOOKING FOR MR GOODBAR s.*™* DIANE KEATON TUESDAY WELD WILLIAM ATHERTON RICHARD KILEY RICHARD GERE Produced by FREDDIE FIELDS Ewd on the none! by JUDITH ROSSNER Written tor the Screen and Directed by RICHARD BROOKS Ubestrictid-ji- Read the paperback available everywhere from Rochet Boohs 1977 pjf»mount p<t U f«scorpoonon •n n^jhts Reserved Soundtrack album available on Columbia records and tapes rf; ■ ' . - ? ; i. .". 9 . i;. 5 8 p.m., Friday, Rudder Auditorium The War Wagon The Helifighters 8p.m., Saturday, Rudder Auditorium The Green Berets The Cowboys 8p.m., Sunday, Rudder Theater The Alamo Advance Tickets at Rudder Tower Box Office BILL COSBY is "Mother” RAQUEL WELCH "Jugs” HARVEY KEITEL is "Speed” Friday Midnight February 1 Rudder Theater /tep Into the m/c 3ugs& they don’t call them that for nothing!