CRI听力: Device to Measure Greenhouse Gas Produced by Cow

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that livestock are responsible for 18 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Now scientists in Argentina are using a unique methane backpack to determine the quantity of harmful gases in a cow's stomach. Their hope is to reduce the massive carbon hoof print.

Our reporter Li Dong has the details.



Argentina is a nation that prides itself on having more cattle than people. Local scientists believe cows may be partly responsible for global warming as a result of the rumination process, which produces methane, a greenhouse gas.

Laura Finster, an agronomist at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, says cattle are responsible for much of Argentina's greenhouse gas emissions.

"The agricultural sector is responsible for 44% of all emissions that are generated in the country - just a little less than that generated by the energy sector. Of these agricultural emissions, approximately 30% stem from livestock. This is due to the large quantity of cattle that we have today in Argentina - that number being roughly 55 million."

The rumination process also emits methanol and ethanol, both volatile organic compounds – also known by the acronym VOC. Now Argentine scientists are trying to determine the levels of VOC gases in the stomach of cattle. They have invented a device called a bovine backpack, which allows people to view the cow's level of methane production.

The bovine backpack consists of an electronic system that can be harnessed on to the back of cattle. The device is connected to the interior of the cow's rumen - part of its digestive system - through a small hole made in its ribs. The gases formed inside the rumen from the fermentation of ingested food, which are typically expelled via bovine belching, are now redirected to the measurement system in the backpack.

Guillermo Berra, with the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, is one of the inventors of the bovine backpack:

"The rumen is one of the fore-stomachs; the largest of them, in fact. In an adult animal, it has a typical capacity of 150 litres. The bottom section deals with the food, while gas is formed in the upper section. The objective of our research is to collect all the gas that is formed and goes through the interior of the cannula. From there it goes to the flow measurement system and the registration system, after which we can download results from the internet."

Dr Silvia Valtorta is another of the investigators who worked on the development of the bovine backpack. She explains that not only will it give them real-time data, but it will also allow them to calculate how emissions vary from place to place and between seasons.

"A signal containing relevant data is transmitted via a mobile phone antenna. This is received in a central computer, allowing the data to be monitored from anywhere in the world. We can check the exact volume of gas that is going out of the rumen in real-time. That means we can check what is going on and deal with any problems as they happen."

The scientists will use the data to develop a new diet for cattle in Argentina, thus making it easier for the animals to digest food.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.