Could a New Type of Feed Reduce Methane in Cow Burps?

A research team is looking for new feed options to reduce methane in cow burps, aiming to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the fight against global warming.

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Susan Yoshimura

A US citizen based in Asia for over 20 years, Susan has a postgraduate degree in Environmental Education. She is a former environmental activist and media relations coordinator at Greenpeace Japan and research programme assistant at United Nations University, Tokyo. She has 15+ years experience in Japanese-to-English translation and editing in the environmental management field.

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Reducing Methane in Cow Burps

Welcome to the SDGs in the News Podcast.

This is Susan Yoshimura, Managing Editor of Japan 2 Earth, coming to you from Tokyo.

Today, we bring you another English article on Japan and the SDGs.

You can find the full text on our website.

Just click the link in the episode notes.

Have a listen.

Could a new type of feed reduce methane in cow burps?

A research team is looking for new feed options to reduce methane in cow burps,

aiming to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the fight against global warming.

A research group led by Professor Yasuo Kobayashi of the Graduate School of Agriculture at Hokkaido

University is looking into ways to reduce methane in cow burps.

Methane, a greenhouse gas, is released by microorganisms in the stomach as they

break down grass and other feed. The gas is considered to be a significant factor in global

warming.

If a type of feed that suppresses methane production could be discovered, sensors in the

stomach and artificial intelligence, AI, could be used to effectively monitor feeding.

Reducing Methane Emissions in Cows

The research team aims to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

Cows have four stomachs that digest the fiber in grass to derive nutrients.

They are helped by about 7,000 different microorganisms.

Methane is produced in the first stomach, which is the largest.

First, hydrogen is produced as microorganisms break down and ferment the feed.

Then, other microorganisms convert the hydrogen into methane.

Previous research has shown that when oil extracted from cashew shells is mixed with feed,

hydrogen is converted into a substance known as propionic acid that becomes a

source of nutrition for cattle. This hydrogen does not convert to methane,

resulting in about a 20 percent reduction in methane emissions.

The research group is now testing other ingredients,

such as seaweed and vegetable oil, to find an even more effective feed for reducing methane.

Do let us know and check out our website by clicking on the link in the episode notes.

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Until next time, this is Susan Yoshimura of Japan to Earth, signing off.