Auto fuel from cow manure

My, what those Germans won’t do to stay ahead of the energy crisis!  In this case, it’s looking to cow manure as a source of energy.  Of course, in this instance, this Modern Mechanix posting shows us the Germans were doing this in 1949.  But maybe the whole technology will make a big come back with these soaring fuel prices we’ve seen of late?

THERE’S an old European proverb which says you can measure the extent of a farmer’s prosperity by the height of his manure pile. That saying is closer to the truth today in Germany than it has ever been before.

A German inventor named Harnisch has developed a simple device which converts manure into fuel. And this fuel is used to drive autos and tractors as well as provide household power.

The idea of using manure as fuel is not a new one. Cow manure has been used for this purpose for thousands of years in India and “Africa. As recently as 1912, many cities were operating gas lanterns on sewage gas.

Skeptical of the value of this technology?  You shouldn’t be.  Check out the supply ratio:

Methane from two cows is enough to heat the average farm house. With 20 head of cattle the farmer can operate a tractor for 120 days!

[tags]Modern Mechanix, energy crisis, alternate energy sources[/tags]