Bill Gates believes it: he invests in algae to stop methane emissions from cows
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Some of the richest men in the world, like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, are investing in a start-up whose mission is to “decarbonise cattle”. On the site of the Australian company Rumin8 in fact, they specify that they have the objective of “decarbonise 100 million cattle by 2030”which translates to about “0.4% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world, or 200 million tonnes less emissions per year”.
To achieve this, to avoid the methane gas emissions produced by the digestion of cows in pastures and farms, as is already happening in other realities, the Australian startup focuses on seaweed.
Agriculture and environment
Feed the cows a seaweed diet to reduce methane
by Marco Angelillo
For some time, several companies in the world have in fact been developing systems to integrate forage and food to feed animals with some algae that help block the action of the enzyme actually responsible for the production of methane during digestion.
As known methane is a potent greenhouse gas among those responsible for global warming and in the agricultural sector, especially livestock, 32% of emissions come from livestock between cattle belching and manure.
Methane, the natural gas that warms the atmosphere
Over the years Rumin8 has developed, like the Swedish company Volta Greentech or the Irish Sea Solutionssystems connected to seaweed-based natural food supplements more and more promising for curbing methane emissions: for this reason, after having obtained several million initial loans (16 in total), the company has now also invested in the startup Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) by Microsoft founder Bill Gates with a contribution of around 8 million euros. The BEV itself is a company also backed by Jeff Bezos by Amazon and Jack Maco-founder of Alibaba.
Rumin8, which is based in Perth, is convinced that the algae-based nutrients they develop are a ‘low-cost, scalable solution to the methane problem’. Other companies, such as Volta Greentech, have explained in recent months, for example, that if cows are given a daily dose of just 100 grams of red algae emissions of enteric methane (the gas fermented in the intestines of cows, sheep and goats) are reduced by up to 80%. Another development system that takes place elsewhere but for the same problem, is then that of directly applying masks on the muzzle of the cattle, in order to “trap” the burps.
Agriculture
In Australia seaweed to cows to reduce emissions
David Messinaco-founder and CEO of Rumin8, is enthusiastic about the work that is developing in this area: “The laboratory results continue to produce excellent results, our animal trials reflect the laboratory results and the financial model we are undertaking indicates that we will be able to supply our products at a commercial price”.
In announcing the funds obtained from Bill Gates, the administrator also explained that the first commercial trials will begin soon in Australia, New Zeland, Brazil And United States.
More generally, in the world, there are various programs and initiatives in an attempt to reduce emissions related to methane. At the Cop27 for example, during the Climate Conference of the Parties in Egypt 150 nations have pledged to reduce methane emissions by 30% by the end of this decade. L’European Unionwith various funding, is investing millions of euros to try to reduce emissions and also to introduce regulations on methane in the energy and agriculture sectors.
The innovation
A prize for the mask that traps methane when cows digest
Other programs then go by indications that include the need to reduce global meat consumptionas well as the number of intensive farms, plants which in the future – the Australian startup is convinced – to try to contain emissions linked to the digestion of cattle will have to exploit precisely the mix of red algae and grazing forage which they are developing thanks to Bill Gates money.
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