The power of poop: How Cornell turns manure into energy

Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Dairy Barn has installed a state-of-the-art system that separates manure from sand bedding material.  Officials with the barn, which is home to 200 cows, say the technology provides clean bedding for the animals and creates "muck" that is perfect for making electricity and heat. Here's how it works, according to Cornell:Manure is conveyed into the new separator, adjacent to the barn, Minutes later, clean sand emerges ready for another day’s use, Liquid manure is collected in a tank for removal. A pump draws sand-laden manure out of the reception pit. It is diluted with recycled water and filtered through a screen that removes bits of hay and other debris. A high-speed pump then pushes the diluted sand and manure through a cyclone that separates most of the manure from the sand.The sand with some residual manure flows into a sand washer where an auger brings up the sand, which is then sprayed with tap water as a final cleaning step.Captured liquid manure is then trucked to the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility, where microbial activity breaks down the manure, along with other organic matter, generating methane gas.