Cow Anti-Methane Pill
Thursday, 29. March 2007, 07:29:36
Methane produced by farting and burping cows worldwide currently accounts for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions. Sorry for my words - it seems that a nicer word for passing or breaking winds is flatulence, a word that some of you may never have heard or seen before. My spell-checker doesn't recognise the word "flatulate" either.
Now back to business, because methane from cattle and whatever they are doing is an extremely serious problem for mankind and our environment. Scientists are working to develop a pill that, in combination with a special anti-flatulence (I begin to like that word) diet, can reduce the amount of methane produced as part of the natural grass fermentation process in the cow's stomach. This sounds like a better idea than trying to capture any released wind or burp.
Cows will be fed large fist-sized pills that sit in their rumen - the first of the cow's "four stomachs" - to reduce emissions of methane produced by bacteria found there. The goal is to cut methane, increase metabolism (using the energy to produce glucose instead of methane) and thus milk production, as well as improving the "wellbeing of the cow" (I know that I would hate to burp and flatulate all day long).
Over the last 50 years the methane concentration in the atmosphere has increased 600%. It is time for action.
Now back to business, because methane from cattle and whatever they are doing is an extremely serious problem for mankind and our environment. Scientists are working to develop a pill that, in combination with a special anti-flatulence (I begin to like that word) diet, can reduce the amount of methane produced as part of the natural grass fermentation process in the cow's stomach. This sounds like a better idea than trying to capture any released wind or burp.
Cows will be fed large fist-sized pills that sit in their rumen - the first of the cow's "four stomachs" - to reduce emissions of methane produced by bacteria found there. The goal is to cut methane, increase metabolism (using the energy to produce glucose instead of methane) and thus milk production, as well as improving the "wellbeing of the cow" (I know that I would hate to burp and flatulate all day long).
Over the last 50 years the methane concentration in the atmosphere has increased 600%. It is time for action.
- http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=12810
- Similar article in Danish at http://politiken.dk/videnskab/article271753.ece
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