CNN —
It turns out that burping can be big business. Billionaire Bill Gates has announced an investment in Australian start-up Rumin8, which is developing an algae-based feed to reduce methane emissions from cows’ burps and, to a lesser extent, farts.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Although it is less persistent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, it has a global warming potential that is 84 times greater over a 20-year period. Almost a third of the world’s methane emissions come from livestock, and most of that comes from beef and dairy cows.
Microbes in cows’ stomachs produce methane when the animals digest food, but adding algae to their feed has been shown to significantly reduce the amount of gas released to warm the planet. A 2021 study found that feeding cows small amounts of seaweed over several months reduced methane emissions from cows by more than 80%.
Rumin8 produces a feed additive from the bioactive ingredient in red algae (Asparagopsis). The company said laboratory tests showed the additive could reduce methane emissions by up to 95%.
Rather than growing the seaweed, the company reproduces the ingredient in a lab, meaning costs can be kept relatively low. The additive goes into cow feed and the company is aiming to make it in capsule form as well.
A spokesman for Gates fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which led the $12 million investment round, told CNN, “Although cows play a significant role [greenhouse gas] As a source, livestock farming remains one of the cheapest sources of protein globally, meaning technologies that can reduce emissions from the existing cattle supply chain, now and in the future, are critical.”
Rumin8 said it has further investment from two climate funds and is aiming to have small quantities of the food available in stores by the end of the year.
One criticism leveled at solutions such as methane-reducing feed additives is that they can distract from addressing the root causes of livestock’s climate problem, including the vast amount of land required to raise animals and grow crops for their feed .
Rumin8 CEO David Messina said cows remain an important source of protein for billions. “Our solution is global and will provide both developed and developing countries with a methane-reducing product that will have a massive impact on global emissions from agriculture,” he told CNN via email.
Some countries are considering legislation to reduce methane emissions from livestock. In October, the New Zealand government announced plans to tax farmers for burping their animals to encourage them to reduce emissions.