{"id":28089,"date":"2020-12-03T07:13:30","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T15:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.heuermontage.com\/?p=28089"},"modified":"2020-12-03T07:13:33","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T15:13:33","slug":"thoughts-on-flatulence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heuermontage.com\/?p=28089","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on Flatulence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Flatulence, you know, the activity that releases methane into the atmosphere, is not usually a topic discussed in polite company. But since we all appreciate some good news these days, flatulence it shall be. Or the absence thereof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many of you might have heard the report already on NPR<\/a> 2 days ago. It has been picked up all over the place: one of the major sources of methanol emissions, gas with high global warming potential, heating up the atmosphere, are the burps and farts of cows. There, I said it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cows have several stomach chambers, in which microbes help digest the food. They belch due to enteric fermentation, which is the digestive process of converting sugars into simple molecules for absorption into the bloodstream and which produces methane as a by-product. On the other end of the cow, manure is dropped which contains and releases methane as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It turns out (and it seems to be a bit of a rediscovery, if you look at what the ancient Greeks or 18th century Icelanders reported,) adding seaweed<\/strong> to the bovine feed helps reduce methane emission by an astonishing 98%. Minute amounts of those submarine grasses seem to be enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asparagopsis taxiformis and Asparagopsis armata are 2 species of a crimson submarine grass that drifts on waves and tides all around the world\u2019s oceans. These 2 species are emerging as an effective tool in innovative, regenerative, and cleaner production for the wider agriculture sector. Asparagopsis and other types of seaweed have specialized gland cells that make and store bromoform, an organic compound. When this deep red seaweed is freeze-dried, powdered, and sprinkled as a garnish on a cow\u2019s meal, bromoform blocks carbon and hydrogen atoms from forming methane in the stomach. (Ref<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Given that there are about 1.5 billion cows on our planet, this seems an exciting step forward in our attempts of decarbonization to save the earth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Incidentally it also seems to make the cows healthier and increase milk production. The whole seaweed issues started in this newest version, in fact, when a farmer noticed that his cows that feed near the ocean shore thrived in comparison to his other ones that fed at higher pastures. The power of observation, leading to scientific exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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