A particularly impressive red algae has the prospect of significantly reducing the alarming level of methane produced by the intestinal digestive system of cows. Now, Swedish researchers have discovered that by adding the tropical red algae Asparagopsis taxiformis (AT) to cow dung, it has cut the amount of methane produced in the manure by almost half.

Although feces emit a portion of methane when ruminants, it still accounts for about 10% of emissions into the atmosphere in the United States. Overall, cows produce about 37% of all methane emissions. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an estimated 90 million head of cattle are continuously raised nationwide.

Mohammad Ramin, an animal science researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, said: “We have shown that adding AT to dairy cow manure reduced methane emissions from manure by 44% compared to manure without AT.”

It all comes down to the main compound of red algae called bromoform, which naturally blocks methane generation. However, this is the first time scientists have studied cow dung to test the plant’s strength.

Ramin said: “There have been many studies using AT in the diet of dairy cows to reduce methane production in the gut. However, no studies have reported a reduction in methane emissions from cow dung.”

One of the concerns of addressing this problem in the first place is that AT is high in iodine. In cattle taking milk, this increases the concentration of iodine in the milk produced, which can cause thyroid problems and ultimately toxicity. Scientists are working on making an AT strain with less iodine.

Although this was only a small study, scientists hope it will pave the way for other researchers to look at how AT works in preventing methane production in feces. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers inSustainable Food Systems.

Source: From the website: vista.gov,vn of the National Agency of Science and Technology Information

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