New research has revealed that methane emissions from dairy farms may be up to five times higher than official estimates, but the good news is that this methane can be captured and converted into a valuable renewable energy source. This article explores the untapped potential of dairy farm methane and how it could contribute to the fight against climate change. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can be turned into biogas to power farms and potentially even the national grid.
The Methane Surprise
Climate campaigners commissioned the research following industry complaints about poor methane data compared to other GHGs, and it was surprising even the scientists: methane emissions from dairy farm slurry stores could be 5x higher than currently reported by governments. They claim that the current methods used by countries for reporting their greenhouse gas emissions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) could be missing as much as a third of total dairy farm methane emissions, which means these reports underestimate how much dairies contribute to climate change.
For two dairy farms in Cornwall, England where methane emissions were directly measured, observed results ended up at 145 kg/cow yr and 198 kg/cow yr [77]. This impressive against the background of the 38 kg per cow reported for all UK cows in the National Inventory. This means that, overall, enteric emissions are likely to be around 45% lower than current estimates – with much of the rest made up by manure management, although this balance might even shift towards being close to 50:50.
Capturing methane to make energy
Although the news cycle prior to the holidays was full of reports warning about methane emissions from dairy farms being higher than predicted, researchers see a large opportunity. They calculate that, on converting the methane captured into biogas, this could be worth more than £400 million per year to the UK dairy sector kill each estimated average-size farm in the country £52 500 every year.
Those days are long gone, as technology now exists to capture and process the methane, making it a clean renewable energy resource. The allocations could cut emissions by an estimated 5.8% of the planet’s remaining global temperature rise budget to stay below increases with a temperature increase of 1,5 degrees Celsius in the EU dairy herd would eventually be adopted as technology widespread. A major step in a battle against eliminating carbon(dc) from the atmosphere.
The study authors are also urging a broadening of the scope of research and policy work to address manure management emissions, along with more investment in slurry covers and greater government incentives for gas processing equipment. They’ve also recommended streamlining planning and permitting procedures, and tax incentives for firms investing in methane recovery and use across the supply chain.
The Path to a Greener Future
However, the results of this study are serious and present a potential silver lining to assist in making one of America’s least sustainable sectors, dairy farming, more sustainable and energy self-sufficient. Dairy farming and biogas: If dairy farmer can manage to capture the methane emissions from their slurry stores, not only will they be able to lessen their impact on the environment, they could potentially bring an additional revenue stream into operation as the gas can be sold it as commission.
The results of this research reinforce the need for regularly updating and enhancing the metric used to measure and share greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the exploration of circular approaches where environmental problems are transformed into value creation opportunities. This could be a key enabler for meeting the 1.5ºC global warming limit to which the world is committed.
Reinvent the potential of our most abundant, sustainable and renewable resource; dairy farm methane! This proves to be a mutually positive development for both the environment as well as dairy farmers which will lead to more sustainable, greener future.
