Scientists Stumble Upon Way to Reduce Cow Dung Methane Emissions
(Bloomberg) -- Twice a day at milking parlors all over New Zealand, the world's biggest dairy exporter, sheds are hosed down to wash away cow dung into large manmade ponds.
In an attempt to recycle the water in the lagoons, two local scientists — Keith Cameron and Hong Di — began testing the addition of polyferric sulfate, a chemical that's been widely used in wastewater treatment to separate liquids from solids. The process worked, but that didn't prove to be their most interesting finding.
When the pair of soil and physical sciences professors at Lincoln University ran checks to monitor for any impact on greenhouse gas emissions, they made a startling observation: Methane emissions from the wastewater had decreased by more than 90%.
'The whole course of our research program changed overnight,' said Cameron, who has retired from teaching and spent the last four years researching and developing the treatment.
Di said manure accounts for roughly 10% of livestock methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that's more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Large industrial farms often collect and store waste in giant sealed tanks known as anaerobic digesters that capture methane. Those digesters can cost millions of dollars, though, and curtailing the pollution on smaller farms has remained challenging. But Cameron and Di may have unwittingly found something that works.
By introducing polyferric sulfate into the lagoons, the scientists tipped the scale in favor of sulfate-reducing microorganisms, allowing them to outcompete methanogens —which generate methane, are plentiful in cow poop and grow considerably in effluent ponds — for food. The result was a sharp drop in a powerful greenhouse gas that farmers have been trying to tame for years.
The innovation — developed under the name EcoPond — is being rolled out across 250 farms associated with Fonterra Co-operative Group and Synlait Milk Ltd. through a pilot program. Dairy giant Fonterra, New Zealand's largest company that's owned and supplied by thousands of farming families, says the treatment can help it toward a goal of cutting on-farm emissions intensity 30% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.
Food systems, which encompass everything from growing and processing food to consuming it or throwing it away, account for about a third of humanity's greenhouse gas emissions. Much of that footprint is linked to livestock farming, a major source of methane.
Tackling those emissions has proven difficult because there are few solutions to the biological processes that generate the gas. For example, to address methane released by animals like cows and sheep, scientists are developing burp-catching masks, seaweed-based supplements and vaccines. So far, none of those solutions have had a major impact.
Cameron and Di's innovation is part of an emerging field of scientific work that's focused on cutting the emissions from manure. The methane captured by digesters used on some large farms can then be used to generate heat, electricity or fuel. But in New Zealand, where livestock spend most of their time at pasture and herd sizes are smaller, the amount of manure generated indoors typically isn't enough to warrant a digester.
To treat a lagoon full of cow poop, the mixture is sucked into a pump on a truck and run through a manifold where it is mixed with polyferric sulfate and sulfuric acid. After treatment, the slurry is deposited back in the lagoon. The process typically takes a few hours and is repeated every six to eight weeks.
Agnition, the unit of farmers collective Ravensdown that's seeking to commercialize the process, is still determining how much it will cost. The group declined to provide estimates. Funding for the Fonterra pilot comes from the collective and through programs backed by Mars Inc. and Nestle SA.
'It's likely to be affordable for farmers, particularly if they're dairy and their cooperative is supporting them to reduce methane,' said Mike Manning, Ravensdown's chief science officer.
The treatment has the potential to reduce New Zealand's individual dairy farm emissions by between 7% and 9%, according to Cameron. Agriculture is a cornerstone of the nation's economy and accounts for about 80% of its exports and more than half of its total greenhouse gas emissions.
While the initial pilot is focused on farms raising cows, the approach has 'broad applicability across various methanogenic environments — such as rice paddies, wetlands and similar systems,' said Marcelo Mena, chief executive officer at the Global Methane Hub, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing the greenhouse gas, and which isn't involved in the New Zealand project. Mena is also a professor of biochemical engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso in Chile.
One drawback to using polyferric sulfate and other materials to inhibit methanogens in manure is that the approach can impact soil and water quality and disrupt microbial ecosystems, said Zhidan Liu, a professor of agricultural engineering at China Agricultural University in Beijing.
There was no significant difference on pasture yield or soil condition over a four-year trial in which Cameron and Di compared effluent treated with polyferric sulfate and untreated plots, according to a 2023 study.
The treatment developed by Cameron and Di is a welcome relief for farmers under pressure to reduce their emissions but with limited opportunities to do so, said Stuart Taylor, the general manager of farming at Craigmore, a farming, horticulture and forestry business.
'The New Zealand agricultural community realizes they have a role to play in reducing their greenhouse gases,' said Taylor. 'They've been screaming out for technologies to support them.'
--With assistance from Tom Redmond.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
Scientists Stumble Upon Way to Reduce Cow Dung Methane Emissions
(Bloomberg) -- Twice a day at milking parlors all over New Zealand, the world's biggest dairy exporter, sheds are hosed down to wash away cow dung into large manmade ponds. In an attempt to recycle the water in the lagoons, two local scientists — Keith Cameron and Hong Di — began testing the addition of polyferric sulfate, a chemical that's been widely used in wastewater treatment to separate liquids from solids. The process worked, but that didn't prove to be their most interesting finding. When the pair of soil and physical sciences professors at Lincoln University ran checks to monitor for any impact on greenhouse gas emissions, they made a startling observation: Methane emissions from the wastewater had decreased by more than 90%. 'The whole course of our research program changed overnight,' said Cameron, who has retired from teaching and spent the last four years researching and developing the treatment. Di said manure accounts for roughly 10% of livestock methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that's more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Large industrial farms often collect and store waste in giant sealed tanks known as anaerobic digesters that capture methane. Those digesters can cost millions of dollars, though, and curtailing the pollution on smaller farms has remained challenging. But Cameron and Di may have unwittingly found something that works. By introducing polyferric sulfate into the lagoons, the scientists tipped the scale in favor of sulfate-reducing microorganisms, allowing them to outcompete methanogens —which generate methane, are plentiful in cow poop and grow considerably in effluent ponds — for food. The result was a sharp drop in a powerful greenhouse gas that farmers have been trying to tame for years. The innovation — developed under the name EcoPond — is being rolled out across 250 farms associated with Fonterra Co-operative Group and Synlait Milk Ltd. through a pilot program. Dairy giant Fonterra, New Zealand's largest company that's owned and supplied by thousands of farming families, says the treatment can help it toward a goal of cutting on-farm emissions intensity 30% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. Food systems, which encompass everything from growing and processing food to consuming it or throwing it away, account for about a third of humanity's greenhouse gas emissions. Much of that footprint is linked to livestock farming, a major source of methane. Tackling those emissions has proven difficult because there are few solutions to the biological processes that generate the gas. For example, to address methane released by animals like cows and sheep, scientists are developing burp-catching masks, seaweed-based supplements and vaccines. So far, none of those solutions have had a major impact. Cameron and Di's innovation is part of an emerging field of scientific work that's focused on cutting the emissions from manure. The methane captured by digesters used on some large farms can then be used to generate heat, electricity or fuel. But in New Zealand, where livestock spend most of their time at pasture and herd sizes are smaller, the amount of manure generated indoors typically isn't enough to warrant a digester. To treat a lagoon full of cow poop, the mixture is sucked into a pump on a truck and run through a manifold where it is mixed with polyferric sulfate and sulfuric acid. After treatment, the slurry is deposited back in the lagoon. The process typically takes a few hours and is repeated every six to eight weeks. Agnition, the unit of farmers collective Ravensdown that's seeking to commercialize the process, is still determining how much it will cost. The group declined to provide estimates. Funding for the Fonterra pilot comes from the collective and through programs backed by Mars Inc. and Nestle SA. 'It's likely to be affordable for farmers, particularly if they're dairy and their cooperative is supporting them to reduce methane,' said Mike Manning, Ravensdown's chief science officer. The treatment has the potential to reduce New Zealand's individual dairy farm emissions by between 7% and 9%, according to Cameron. Agriculture is a cornerstone of the nation's economy and accounts for about 80% of its exports and more than half of its total greenhouse gas emissions. While the initial pilot is focused on farms raising cows, the approach has 'broad applicability across various methanogenic environments — such as rice paddies, wetlands and similar systems,' said Marcelo Mena, chief executive officer at the Global Methane Hub, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing the greenhouse gas, and which isn't involved in the New Zealand project. Mena is also a professor of biochemical engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso in Chile. One drawback to using polyferric sulfate and other materials to inhibit methanogens in manure is that the approach can impact soil and water quality and disrupt microbial ecosystems, said Zhidan Liu, a professor of agricultural engineering at China Agricultural University in Beijing. There was no significant difference on pasture yield or soil condition over a four-year trial in which Cameron and Di compared effluent treated with polyferric sulfate and untreated plots, according to a 2023 study. The treatment developed by Cameron and Di is a welcome relief for farmers under pressure to reduce their emissions but with limited opportunities to do so, said Stuart Taylor, the general manager of farming at Craigmore, a farming, horticulture and forestry business. 'The New Zealand agricultural community realizes they have a role to play in reducing their greenhouse gases,' said Taylor. 'They've been screaming out for technologies to support them.' --With assistance from Tom Redmond. More stories like this are available on
Mint
3 days ago
- Mint
Gilead's bi-annual HIV prevention jab gets FDA approval: How much does it cost and how it works? All you need to know…
American biopharmaceutical major Gilead Sciences, has recieved approval from the United States' Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), for its bi-annual HIV prevention injection, to be marketed as 'Yeztugo'. Gilead shares briefly jumped 3.5 per cent — its biggest gain nearly a month, and rose 17 per cent year-on-year (YoY), till market close on June 18, Bloomberg reported. The stock outperforming a 2 per cent increase in the S&P 500 index. Lenacapavir, marketed under the brand name Yeztugo, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent in adults and adolescents — making it functionally akin to a powerful vaccine, according to an AFP report. Hailed by activists as the world's 'best tool' to fight the HIV virus, especially since no vaccine is yet available, the medicine has to be administered only twice a year and are compatible for a wide range of people, as per the report. 'This is a milestone moment in the decades-long fight against HIV. We now have a way to end the HIV epidemic,' Gilead CEO Daniel O'Day said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg. The injection demonstrated 'powerful ability' to ward off HIV infection in two major international studies last year, the BB report added. AFP reported that results from both trials were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, and the journal Science named lenacapavir its 2024 'Breakthrough of the Year'. As many as 1.3 million people are infected with the HIV virus each year, with the highest rate in Africa. Daily pills do work, but can be forgotten by patients or also lead to stigma as the bottle can reveal people's health status. One international study published in November 2024 showed that the drug prevented all but two HIV cases among 2,180 men and transgender people — a rate 96 per cent lower than the background incidence level in that population. And in June 2025, Gilead said a trial of the shot in 2,000 women and adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa prevented an 'unprecedented' 100 per cent of HIV cases. It also outperformed the company's old HIV prevention daily oral pill Truvada in both studies. Yes, there are some side effects. Around 1.2 per cent of the people in the study had reactions at the injection site and stopped taking the medicine, the Bloomberg report said. Other reported side effects include headache, and nausea, according to the AFP report. Gilead said it will price Yeztugo at $28,218 per year (around ₹ 24.50 lakh), compared to the $26,400 list price of its daily HIV prevention pill, Descovy. There was no specific price given for India or other global markets. Lenacapavir's current list price for its previously approved use as a treatment for HIV is $39,000 annually, the AFP report noted. 'We are working to make Yeztugo accessible for anyone who needs or wants it and expect to see broad insurance coverage,' Gilead spokeswoman Blair Baumwell told AFP via email. The jab will compete with GSK-arm ViiV Healthcare's Apretude prevention shot, which is administered alternate months. This jab costs ₹ 15,200 for a 600mg/3ml vial, according to data on IndiaMart. Notably, Gilead already sells the same drug, lenacapavir, as a treatment for people with multidrug-resistant HIV under the brand Sunlenca — priced at ₹ 23000/box for 300 mg tablets in India, according to IndiaMart. The California-based company is looking at making the drug a 'best-seller' in rich countries, but will also be pushed toward faster roll-out in poorer and middle-income countries that face HIV crisis. And analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect Yeztugo sales to surpass $4 billion per year by 2031. The report added that Gilead has already filed for approval in a number of countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, South Africa, and the EU Medicines For All program, which helps speed the review of drugs that will be used in developing countries. In October, Gilead signed agreements with six pharma companies to produce and distribute generic versions of the drug in around 120 low-income and middle-income countries, pending regulatory approval, AFP reported. In a separate deal in December, Gilead announced partnership with the United Nations' Global Fund, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and others, to purchase doses for two million people. However, Donald Trump's cuts to the PEPFAR program could now impact this development. (With inputs from Bloomberg, AFP)
Mint
4 days ago
- Mint
Climate Change is Increasing Threat From Heat Waves in the UK
(Bloomberg) -- Global warming is rapidly increasing the number of hot summer days in the UK and intensifying heat waves, with an outside chance that temperatures could eclipse the records of Mediterranean capitals like Rome. Almost three years ago, the UK breached 40C (104F) for the first time on record. Now a new Met Office study shows that temperature — and even hotter conditions — are 20 times more likely to occur than in the 1960s. 'We are seeing the number of hot days, the length of heat waves and that intensity increasing,' said Gillian Kay, a senior scientist with the UK Met Office and a lead author of the research. Kay and a team of scientists from the Met Office's Hadley Centre used a global climate model that creates simulations of plausible summer temperatures under current climate conditions. Those simulations show a very remote chance that temperatures in southern England could hit 46.6C, approaching Europe's all-time high of 48.8C. The simulations were based on existing levels greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, which Kay said could prove to be moving targets. 'With increasing greenhouse gases, we would be expecting even more intense and more frequent heat waves,' she said. High pressure over the UK is currently dragging in stream of hot air that's forecast to bring heat wave conditions to London and eastern England later this week. Daytime highs will exceed 30C by Saturday, as air funneled in from high above Greenland warms as it rapidly sinks. High-pressure patterns have set up many of the UK's most damaging heat events, including the infamous summer of 1976, when temperatures remained above 28C for more than a fortnight. The study shows that in today's climate such heat wave conditions could persist for a month or more. The increasing duration and intensity of heat waves like the one that hit in 2022 — and was linked to more than 2,800 deaths — highlights the urgency for preparation across the UK, Kay said. 'We saw serious effects on people's health, particularly those in more vulnerable sections of society,' she said. 'We saw wildfire even in urban centers. There was disruption to the roads, and the rail network, with melting Tarmac and buckling rails.' More stories like this are available on
