From the "Build a Better Mousetrap" Files:

[MorganGrayson]

Just when you think all the really cool things have been invented...along comes a useful gadget like this....


New Invention Removes Odor From Hog Manure

Jan 16, 10:24 PM (ET)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A man has received a $500,000 federal grant to mass produce his invention, a machine that removes the odor from hog manure.

The Tempest dryer, developed by Loran Balvanz, is designed to help solve water pollution, odor and noxious gas problems in the hog industry.

Balvanz said that because his invention separates water from the solids in manure, it can solve air and water quality problems.

The Tempest removes water from manure by spinning it at a high speed. The water is vented through the top of the dryer and vaporizes in the outside air.

The process reduces the volume and weight of the manure making for easy collection of the remaining solids.

The machine was developed for Balvanz's Global Resource Recovery Organization Inc., a company he founded in 1999.

Company president Bill Flowers said a farmer using the dryer each day could retain about 75 percent of the nutrients from hog manure. Since water is eliminated, farmers will no longer need long-term storage for liquid manure, Flowers said.

The smaller quantity of solids left over after the Tempest does its job can be stored on the farm and applied to fields as fertilizer when needed, he said.

I don't know 'bout y'all, but I feel as if my life has been enriched enormously

[MorganGrayson]

And, to totally make my day, this was the article right under that one:

Goose Poop a Problem for Oakland Parkgoers

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Piles of goose poop at a city lake have officials struggling to find a way to clean up the mess for picnicking parkgoers.

Full-time resident Canada geese arrived at the city's Lake Merritt in 1954 when several injured birds were introduced to the refuge. Their numbers have exploded in the past 20 years to at least 200 regulars, with some 2,000 geese descending on the park each summer, according to the National Audubon Society.

"Each bird produces about a pound of poop a day - that's literally a ton each day," said Stephanie Benavidez, head naturalist at the Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge.

It's a staggering problem that has Oakland and other cities trying to figure out how to chase away the geese without running afoul of the Federal Migratory Bird and Endangered Species acts that protect many of the birds that live alongside the geese at Lake Merritt, which covers 150 acres.

"The goose droppings on the lawn have pretty much made the lawns unusable to families who want to have picnics or use the park with their children," said Councilwoman Pat Kernighan, who represents the area. "It's very hard for people to use the park for recreation."

Some cities have tried planting grass varieties that Canada geese won't eat, or spraying lawns with chemicals geese find distasteful. Others have tried erecting fences to keep the geese out of areas reserved for people.

Chasing the birds away is another popular trick. Cities hire firms with names like Goosebusters or Wild Goose Chase, which use dogs - trained to harass, not harm, geese - to chase the birds away.

But critics worry that using dogs in Oakland could harm other bird species, such as egrets, mallards and herons.


Apparently, hogs create "manure," while geese produce "poop." Interesting.

[war_ner]

Great! However, I also read on some magaines that there are these hog farms that convert their hog manure to electricty. Powering the farm itself ..

[MorganGrayson]

Originally posted by war_ner
Great! However, I also read on some magaines that there are these hog farms that convert their hog manure to electricty. Powering the farm itself ..

Now, THAT is even cooler than taking the smell out! Thanks, war_ner!! I'd love to be a farmer that could casually drop into conversation that my farm was powered by hog manure.