Methane is one of the major greenhouse gases for rumors from ruminants such as cattle and sheep. A Japanese research team has succeeded in finding a way to fight cattle and sheep without methane emissions, which is expected to contribute to global greenhouse gas emission reductions.
According to Japan’s “Daily Newsâ€, methane is produced in the stomach of these ruminants by the decomposition and fermentation of plant fibers. A research team led by Professor Takahashi Ryohei of the University of Hokkaido Hokkaido Institute of Animal Husbandry researched livestock that had been poisoned by eating nitrate-containing feed. He found that cows that consumed large amounts of nitrate-rich pasture had almost no methane emissions when they ran.
They further studied and found that if a cysteine ​​is incorporated into the nitrate-containing pasture, animal poisoning can be prevented and the quality of milk and animal meat will not be affected.
Methane is one of the major gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Although it accounts for only 5% of all greenhouse gases, its impact on the greenhouse effect is far above that of carbon dioxide. According to statistics of relevant experts, there are about 3 billion ruminants such as cattle and sheep raised in the world, and the methane they emit accounts for a significant portion of global methane emissions.
Japan's Ministry of the Environment statistics show that in 2006 Japan's domestic methane emissions converted to carbon dioxide was about 23.8 million tons, of which only cattle accounted for about 28%.
According to reports, Professor Takahashi has already obtained technical patents in countries such as Japan, the United States, and Canada. Some institutions in major livestock industries such as New Zealand and Australia also expressed interest.