Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to Wired, a new burp mask with a catalyst captures the methane emitted by cattle and converts it into CO2 and water. Methane is a stronger greenhouse gas than CO2.
This burp mask for cows could slow down climate change
Methane from cattle is responsible for significant global warming – the startup Zelp offers a convenient and elegant solution
By ANNA MARKS
Friday 1st January 2021
There are 1.6 billion cattle on earth, and their burps and farts are becoming a major problem. Cows emit methane, a colorless and odorless gas that is around 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide as the planet warms.
…
UK-based company Zelp has developed a potential solution in the form of a burp-catching face mask for cows that aims to cut methane emissions from cattle by 60 percent. The company was founded by the brothers Francisco and Patricio Norris, whose family runs cattle in Argentina. “We knew that methane was one of the biggest contributors to global warming in any country, and we realized that tools for methane reduction in agriculture were not well understood,” says Francisco. “There aren’t many innovations in this area.”
…
The mask fits comfortably on a cow’s head and has a zipper-like mechanism that allows it to be adapted to different head sizes of the cattle depending on the breed. It is used on cattle after they are weaned, usually 6 to 8 months of age, and is placed next to the nostrils so the tool can trap methane from their breaths, burps, and burps. “Around 95 percent of cattle’s methane emissions come from their nose and mouth,” explains Norris. “The technology detects, traps and oxidizes methane when it is exhaled by the animals.”
…
Read more: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/cows-climate-change-methane-stop
From what I’ve seen from cattle, there seems to be a lot of methane coming out at the other end so the mask appears to be half a solution at best.
I also wonder how long the masks would last under real-world conditions. Cows are pretty good at destroying things that bother them. I suspect many of them would scratch a tree or rock until the strap snaps, or get other members of the herd to chew on it.
Like this:
Loading…
