Will feeding Beano to cows cut methane (greenhouse gas) production ?

[eppur_se_muova]

There are two current threads (one of them mine) on the topic of methane production by domestic cattle. Because methane is ~15-25 times more effective than CO2 in generating a greenhouse effect, this becomes a serious issue, despite the lower abundance of CH4 vs CO2 (and despite the fact that yes, we are talking about cow farts). Methane production is actually due to intestinal bacteria, which feed (at least partially) on the complex sugars which survive the digestive process to reach the large intestine. Flatulence (mostly CH4) in humans can be supressed by ingesting, or adding to food in preparation, an enzyme which breaks down the linkage in complex sugars which is resistant to digestion. Thus complex sugars do not reach the large intestine and there is little bacterial production of methane. It seems to me that putting these facts together leads to the suggestion that feeding this enzyme to cows should cut methane production and might even have an impact on global warming. (It would also enable the cows to derive more nutrition from their food, possibly paying for itself in the process.)

DU threads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=118480&mesg_id=118480
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=81298&mesg_id=81298

Info on enzyme:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beano_%28dietary_supplement%29
http://www.beanogas.com/
http://www.bean-zyme.com/?referrer=Google

A quick Google shows someone is already working on this (actually I now recall posting something about similar work in the UK a while back). Not clear to me why it's less effective in cows than in people: http://www.fass.org/FASStrack/news_item.asp?news_id=1336

More on cow farts in the news:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2062484.ece

[flvegan]

1. Or, we could just cut back on eating them.

Seems easier than manipulating the animal further.

[man4allcats]

2. This is a just a fart in the wind.

The problem is not the goddamn cows. It's Bushco's buddies. Put a stop to that bullshit and you won't need to feed Beano to the fucking cows.

[MyNameGoesHere]

3. here is something to consider also

Certain foods are inherently gas-producing. Gas-producing foods include beans, cabbage, onions, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, fluffy wheat products such as bread, apples, peaches, pears, prunes, corn, oats, potatoes, milk, ice cream, and soft cheese.

Foods that produce minimal gas include rice, bananas, citrus, grapes, hard cheese, meat, eggs, peanut butter, non-carbonated beverages, and yogurt made with live bacteria.

I wonder how much methane people cause and maybe we should change our diets. And maybe our poop should be processed more efficiently. Or turned into fuel

[Bluerthanblue]

4. Are you sure we're talking about farts?

Methane can be distilled from almost any farm animal manure. My family seriously considered using our farms manure to produce methane which could then be used for aux. heat, hot water etc.

This was back in the '70's, during the 'fuel crisis'- and when we had a running farm. As I understand it methane is produced naturally during the breakdown of manures.

Unfortunately, my Dad is no longer living- he was really 'future minded' and believed this was a wasted and mis-handled resource that could make a difference for many small farms.

Cow's fart, but not as much as most humans I know :silly:-

The other thing is, cows have a cud, and regurgitate and chew their food several times during its journey through their system- interfering with this is not something most dairy farmers want to do- the idea is to keep them 'regular' and contented.

just my own experience, for what it is worth.

[man4allcats]

5. A regular cow

is a happy cow, I'm quite sure. And that's no bullshit. Or maybe it is bullshit which is ultimately why the cow is happy. Think about it. Would you be happy if you couldn't shit? I know this is kind of a personal question. It is of course rhetorical in nature and so does not require a specific reply - but, you can if you want to. ;-)

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Wow, you must know some "interesting" humans! :^D

Your dad was right, lots of people take methane production from manure seriously these days, especially where population is dense and fuel is scarce. Google "manure methane" to see just how busy this field has become. There's a feedlot in Alberta producing about a megawatt of energy from manure: In their press release, Mike Kotelko, of Highland Feeders was quoted as saying "Manure, second to beef in value, is the most important output of our operation in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability."

The methane is produced by bacteria, whether in the cow's digestive tract, the compost heap, or digester. I doubt it's the same strain(s) of bacteria, maybe not even the same species.

(According to the US EPA, pigs produce about as much methane as cows. Maybe they'd be better candidates, since they're not cud chewers.)

[Ignacio Upton]

10. Feeding them corn isn't smart either

Cows are supposed to be eating grass, yet most agribusinesses feed them corn.

[mondo joe]

7. We've fucked up the cows enough with corn diets and hormones already.

It might be time to just reduce the meat industry. (Or it might be well past the time.)

[bullimiami]

8. is methane a natural product of cattle digestion or is it a consequence of

the diet they are fed?

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Natural, as with humans.

Of course, some foods produce more gas than others. It would be interesting to know if cornfed cattle in feedlots produce more methane than free-range cattle. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, based on chemistry of cornstarch (which breaks down to produce 'complex' sugars).

[bullimiami]

15. i wonder if the engineered feeds they are given to maximize growth and

profit exacerbate the problem.

[cui bono]

9. Oh jesus. Leave the poor cows alone. That includes not eating them!

[liberal renegade]

12. rotf

:rofl:

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Farts will do that to you. More oxygen down there. nt

[Skidmore]

14. Beano may help the cows but steak eaters and milk drinkers will

commence growing udders.