METHANE EMISSIONS

Methane Emissions

Methane Emissions

Introduction

Methane is a hazardous gas wehic tends to be produed in the rumen of animals when the are going through the process of food digestion.Methane losses are staggering. In one year, a dairy cow produces an equivalent amount of methane gas emissions greenhouse gases emitted by an average car that travels 20,000 miles. A specialist in this field ends to be of the opinion that looking for ways to measure and reduce methane emissions is becoming important by each passing day (Hendriks & Jager, 2001).

Thus many studies have been I done in order to find ways in order to reduce the methane emission either from landfill or cattle production. However, the fact needs to be kept in mind that the landfills need large open spaces, usually on the outskirts of cities, but not too far for not raising the costs of transporting the waste. They are famous for creating dust, noise and odours and that trash is scattered by the wind and serves as a food source for birds, insects and rats. The problems associated with landfills will persist until the decomposition of organic matter has been carried out and all the waste is stabilized within the landfill, which can last several decades, even centuries. Thus, in the context of the paper we intend to shed light on the different strategies used to reduce the methane emission. It would be done through different perspectives in order to develop an effective and efficient understanding of the subject.

Discussion

Feeding strategies

Until now, many feeding strategies have shown promise. For example, increased fat in the diet by adding crushed oilseeds (sunflower seed, canola or flax) or distillers grains (corn) has reduced to 20 p. 100 of the energy lost as methane. Comparable reductions of methane were also observed with the addition to the diet of other fat sources, such as whole cottonseed, oil and certain plant by-products of ethanol. Overall, we obtained a reduction of 5 percentage points of methane for each percentage point added to the crude fat solids (Nat, 2000).

The addition of a surplus of grain in the diet also reduced methane emissions, but increasing the amount of grain fed to ruminants is quite limited because it ignores the ability of ruminants to convert food fiber, unfit for direct human consumption, milk and meat protein sources of high quality. The diets of corn, compared with those based on barley, reduce emissions of methane, as do high-quality forage (corn silage and alfalfa). Ionophores, antimicrobials that address the rumen bacterial population and maximize the efficiency of production, also contribute to reducing emissions of methane, at least for some time.

Food Additives

The team also studied food additives, such as plant extracts (condensed tannins, saponins, essential oils) and rumen modifiers (yeast, microbial products orally administered enzymes). In a recent study, it has added to the diet of cattle commercial products containing active dry yeast, including a new product selected for its ability to improve fiber digestion in the ...