Using cow manure to produce ethanol in Texas

Making ethanol from corn requires steam which is typically generated by burning natural gas. Dallas-based Panda Ethanol is trying a new approach. Instead of natural gas they are planning burning cattle dung in an ethanol plant. The facility in Muleshoe, Texas will have the capability to gasify manure. The manure gas will replace the natural gas and save the energy equivalent of 1,000 barrels of oil per day. The plant will have an annual capacity of 115 million gallons of ethanol. That's enough to potentially displace 2.6 million barrels of oil.
[Source: Ward's Auto World]