CNN.com recently reported that Microsoft founder Bill Gates has invested in Rumin8, an Australian start-up company that is developing a seaweed-based feed that reduces the methane emissions cows produce through their burps and, to a lesser extent, farts.
IMAGE CREDIT: FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE CREDIT: COURTESY OF FREEPIKCOMPANY.COMSays the CNN.com report: "Microbes in cows’ stomachs produce methane as the animals digest food but when seaweed is added to their feed it has been shown to significantly cut down the amount of planet-warming gas released. A 2021 study found that giving cows small amounts of seaweed over several months saw their methane emissions fall by more than 80%."
The feed additive that Rumin8 produces comes from the bioactive ingredient
Asparagopsis found in red seaweed. The company said lab trials had shown the additive can reduce up to 95% of methane emissions.
Rather than farming the seaweed, however, Rumin8 is reproducing the bioactive ingredient in a lab to keep costs relatively low. The company aims to produce the additive in capsule form, which is then added to the cow food.
Read the "Bill Gates backs start-up tackling cow burps and farts" news story in CNN.com now!
