Kansanssee generation gold in manure

KANSAS - A planned project in southwest Kansas is focused on using cow manure to create fuel that can help produce electricity, an official said.

Grant County economic development director Gene Pflughoft said the plan to turn cow manure into electricity is a perfect fit for Kansas given the state has two cows for every person, The Kansas City Star reported.

"There's a lot of interest, and it's very renewable," he said of the project set to begin in early 2010.

The manure produced by a single cow during a year is the equivalent to 140 gallons of gasoline in terms of energy, the Star reported.

A report by the Bipartisan Policy Conference in Washington suggested by mixing cow manure with coal, as much as 24,000 homes could be powered by manure from 50,000 cows.

The demonstration project planned for next year will involve a mix of 90 percent coal and 10 percent manure that will be used to generate electricity at a Kansas power plant.

Plughoft told the Star if the project is successful, expansion would be a likely future step.

"Our goal is to put one in every feedlot and hook it up to the grid," the official said.