Iowa Ag News Headlines Ethanol Plant Fueled by Cattle Manure Iowa Ag Connection - 02/28/2007 A new ethanol plant in rural Nebraska included 27,000 head of cattle standing on slatted floors to deposit an estimated 1.6 million pounds of manure daily into deep pits, which are located adjacent the distillery. The manure is then processed into methane gas, which powers the ethanol plant. Other byproducts of the manure include fertilizer for the surrounding cornfields. Corn is then fed back to the cattle or distilled into ethanol. The operations all are contained in one 2,000-acre complex that produces about 24 million gallons of ethanol a year. The Mead plant offers a way around environmental challenges because it removes cattle manure from the environment and recycles waste water. The project is environmentally friendly, according to its investors. More from this state at: Iowa Ag Connection Copyright © 2009 - USAgNet.com. All Rights Reserved.