Have you ever heard: “Cow farts are one of the main causes of global warming”. And no, he is not one of the most responsible. But if we take into account that the livestock sector is responsible 14% of greenhouse gases and that methane from cows represents 39% of the total, it must be recognized that they are indeed a problem.
So much so that in recent years we have seen the most diverse ideas to solve it: from ambitious plans to promote veganism to put masks on to the cows In January, we reported that Bill Gates had decided to take action on the matter. What we did not know is that the sector had grown so much.
The sector of… look for ‘low methane’ burps. Jose A. Roca commented in The Energy Newspaper“Startups seeking to reduce enteric methane—or methane produced as part of ruminant digestion—have raised $123 million since 2019.”
And yes, indeed, behind these investments is Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, but also giants such as Danone Manifesto Ventures, Elemental Excelerator or Prelude Ventures. In the same way that there are many people wanting to create an ecologically friendly concrete, there are many people behind making enteric methane (the one produced as part of ruminant digestion) disappear from our concerns.
But… is that even possible? Well yes, the truth. Surprisingly possible. Right now, the main way we have to do this is to add feed additives that cut off gas production in the digestive system. A good example is 3-NOP (3-Nitrooxypropanol), a substance approved in more than 45 countries and which, according to the manufacturer, can reduce emissions “up to 45%”.
But It’s not the only one. We have essential oils from garlic and lemon or derived from algae (such as bromoform). “The trials underway systematically demonstrate a methane reduction of more than 85%, which is equivalent to two tons of carbon emissions per cow per year,” said one of its main marketers about the latter. Also, research on which components of the diet of cows (and other barnyard animals) produce the most methane lives a true ‘golden age’.
An additive and you’re done? Low methane farts are as fun as they are necessary, yes. Nevertheless, reality is stubborn: There is still a long way to go before technological solutions have a significant impact. It’s not just that all these products are in the middle of important regulatory processes; It’s not going to be easy for this technology to get where it needs to go.
If we look at livestock on a global level, we will quickly realize that supplying specific feed to animals on a daily basis is more complicated than it seems. Above all, because it is not something that directly results in the economy of the farmers (at least, as long as the ’emission rights’ schemes continue as they are).
“Changing cow burps is a long-term project.” That they said in Bloomberg a few days ago and they are right. The fight against greenhouse gas emissions is proving to be a very complicated fight (more than precedents such as the ozone layer problem had led us to think).
In Magnet | Cow burps emit a lot of methane. And there are those who want to solve it with masks
Image | Daniel Quiceno
