Electricity from cow manure

The GES company of Granite Hacarmel and the regional 
council of Emek Hefer have activated the first commercial 
facility in Israel to manufacture electricity from cow manure. 
The facility , created with a NIS 40 million invesment, 
will treat 600 tons of manure daily, from 12,000 cows, 
and will sell the electricity to the Electric Corporation 

by Tani Goldstein 
http://www.ynetnews.com
August 1, 2007

The Energy and Infrastructure Company GES, a subsidiary of 
Granite Hacarmel under the leadership of David Azrieli, and 
the Emek Hefer regional council, began on Tuesday to supply 
the Electric Corporation with electricity manufactured from 
cow manure.

The recycling facility in Emek Hefer is the first commercial 
facility in Israel - and one of the first in the world - to use 
organic refuse from dairy farms, mainly from cow manure, 
to create electricity. In addition to electricity, the facility also 
manufactures quality fertilizer from the cow waste. 

The facility will treat 600 tons of cow waste a day, producing 
2-3 mega-watts of electricity. The company and council have 
invested NIS 40 million in the facility's creation and expect to 
profit from selling the electricity and fertilizer, and from the 
waste-treatment process itself. 

The cooperative organization of the kibbutzim and moshavim 
in Emek Hefer initiated the establishment of the facility after 
they were required to find a solution to decrease the pollution 
generated by the 12,000 dairy cows in the area. 

If the project succeeds, it will lead to similar facilities in 
additional farms, slaughterhouses, and agricultural settlements. 
The facility treats the cow waste with a process of pasteurization 
and fermentation that allows it to be converted into fertilizer and 
bio-diesel. 

“The Hefer facility demonstrates our ability to implement 
alternative energy solutions through the treatment of cow waste, 
which is also closely connected to the solution of environmental 
problems”, said Menachem Greenblum, the head of GES. 
“It is definitely an important milestone in the investment in the 
ecological infrastructure sector”, added Granite CEO, Ami Sagis. 
 
GES, a subsidiary of Granite Hacarmel, was established in 1997 
in a merger of Italkam Eilon, Aniyam Purification Systems, and 
Chemita’as. The company deals with the development, operation, 
and maintenance of water and sewage treatment facilities, and 
the development and marketing of chemical products for agriculture 
and regional councils.