There doesn’t seem to be an end to the inherent worth of cattle. Not only do we receive meat, milk and other products from the bovine, but now even their burps might be a boon to the planet.
The gas created in their digestive systems could in the future be used as fuel and help curb greenhouse gases that cause global warming, according to aReuters report by Maximiliano Rizzi. It's not practical at the moment, scientists say, but it could become important when fossil fuels dry up.Scientists with Argentina's National Institute of Agricultural Technology discovered the experimental method using a system of valves and pumps that channel the digestive gases from a bovine's stomach cavities through a tube and into a tank, according to the article. The gases then are processed to separate methane from other gases such as carbon dioxide.
Methane is the main component of natural gas. It’s estimated that cattle emit between 250-300 liters of pure methane, the main component of natural gas, per day — enough to keep a refrigerator running for 24 hours. PD
—Summarized by PD staff from cited source
