The cow methane gas capture plan, which has the support of environmentalists and animal rights groups, is in direct competition with the oxidative coupling process by which Siluria Technologies will convert methane into ethylene and gasoline
The August 21 edition of the Houston Chronicle reports that “Siluria Technologies, a San Francisco-based startup that is developing technology to convert methane into ethylene and gasoline, said Wednesday it has received a $30 million investment from the venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco.” So far, it has received a total of just under $100 million of investments. Siluria, has developed a catalyst that makes it possible to convert methane to ethylene using a process called “oxidative coupling.”
Environment protection groups immediately raised concerns about the adverse effects of more gas drilling on the environment.
Methanoline Energy, a Silicon Valley company , quickly responded to Siluria by announcing that it was developing a much cheaper and more environment friendly process to obtain methane gas than by drilling for it.
It has developed a proctoscopic catheter to be inserted into the rectum of a cow that will capture the bovine gas emissions. The catheters will be hooked up from dairy herds and ranch cattle to storage tanks that will hold the captured gas until it is transported to Methanoline’s refinery which is now under construction near Livermore, California.
In order to convert the bovine methane into gasoline, Methanoline plans to use the gas-to-liquids Fischer–Tropsch technology which has been in use since the 1980s.
Dr. Hideki Shirakawa, a Nobel laureate from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, developed the proctoscopic catheter for Methanoline. Professor Shirakawa admits the Fischer–Tropsch technology is less efficient than Siluria’s oxidative coupling process but says that Methanoline’s process more than makes up for that because it does not require any costly and environmentally destructive drilling. Shirakawa noted that the hardest part in developing this process was to design a proctoscope which would enable a cow to defecate without the poop entering and clogging up the catheter line.
Methanoline CEO I. P. Freely announced that after a careful review by President Obama’s Energy Department, his company has received a $50 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
“Hooking several hundred cows up to a gas storage tank is a brilliant idea,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “I can’t understand why someone hasn’t thought of this before.” When asked if the $50 million grant wasn’t money thrown down the drain like with Solyndra, Moniz replied “No siree, the president has assured me this is a sure winner, especially since cows are constantly passing gas, which Mr. Obama believes contributes to climate warming greenhouse gases.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Matthew Rodriquez, California Secretary for Environmental Protection, both praised the methane capture process for contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases and they were pleased that the gas will be produced without any environmentally harmful drilling..
Freely also announced that the Sierra Club had invested $2.5 million in Methanoline and that PETA had invested $1.75 million into the Silicon Valley methane energy company.
Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune said, “We are pleased to support an environment friendly company like Methanoline. It’s plan to capture bovine gas sure beats drilling for gas and all the harm drilling does to the environment. And by capturing all that bovine gas, those greenhouse gas emissions that are behind global warming will be reduced.”
Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA said, “Being opposed to the slaughter of cattle for human meat consumption, we are particularly pleased that Methanoline will hook up its proctoscopic catheters to ranch cattle as well as to dairy herds. When ranch cattle are used to produce methane gas, they will live out their lives passing gas instead of being slaughtered for human meat consumption. Not only will the cattle not be delivered to those horrible slaughter houses, but the resulting shortage of meat will cause a significant rise in prices that will make hamburgers and steaks unaffordable for many people.”
CEO I. P. Freely said that California’s dairy farmers and cattle ranchers are signing up to participate in the methane gas capture program. He hopes to line up Texas cattle ranchers as well. Under the plan, Methanoline will provide all the equipment and it will subsidize 50 percent of the feeding costs. The dairy farmers and cattle ranchers will receive royalty payments based on the amount of methane produced. Participating cattle ranchers will have to sign an agreement that the methane producing cattle will not be sent to slaughter houses. Freely said a methane gas pipeline from the Texas cattle country to its Livermore plant may well be in Methanoline’s future plans.
Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association president Tony Veiga said, “Methanoline’s gas capture process is a double winner for dairy farmers. Not only will our dairy farmers get paid for the gas produced by their herds, but they will be able to continue producing milk, thereby adding to their profits..
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