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submitted 3 days ago by moonlake@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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"Methane production used to be viewed as a problem at cattle ranches and dairy farms, but methane itself is a highly energetic biogas that can be used as fuel. Harnessing it might prove difficult considering that current social graves do not favor open flatulence even for the sake of renewable energy. However, certain diets richer in alfalfa and flaxseed have been proven to reduce methane production in cows, which could potentially solve that problem (13)."

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[-] regul@hexbear.net 20 points 3 days ago

Also this inspired me to read about how herbivorous mammals digest cellulose and it seems like you probably would want a horse poop transplant, not a cow.

Ruminants have some extra stomachs for hosting the bacteria for digesting cellulose, while for horses and rabbits and such it just happens in the intestine, but is less efficient.

[-] came_apart_at_Kmart@hexbear.net 10 points 3 days ago

rabbits will also eat their on dooks for another bite-at-the-apple so to speak. second harvest.

[-] happybadger@hexbear.net 7 points 3 days ago

Horse poop is clean enough to eat a Psilocybe mushroom off of without washing it as thoroughly as you would a dinner plate. Presumably at least a few of those microbes make it past the stomach. I wonder what that direct xenotransplant would do to our own microbiome.

[-] regul@hexbear.net 13 points 3 days ago

There's research that adding even a tiny bit of seaweed to cow diets reduced methane production as well.

[-] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 25 points 3 days ago

We simply should not farm cows to the levels we do, if at all

[-] Hello_Kitty_enjoyer@hexbear.net 6 points 3 days ago

13% of Americans consume 50% of the steak

13% of the world's population owns 50% of the land

[-] Facky@hexbear.net 6 points 3 days ago

CW: talk of consuming animal meat

Yeah, even as someone who eats meat I agree with you. Meat production should definitely be down to what can be produced locally. It probably shouldn't be an everyday thing. 3 days a week max.

Lol I'm such a hypocrite. I'd have so much trouble giving meat up.

[-] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 8 points 3 days ago

Honestly looking back historically, meat once a month wouldn't be strange

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I do work with biofuels, extracting methane from seaweed/algae. What we’ve found is that in the many conditions, bromoforms form during the degradation of seaweed will reduce methanogenesis.

Our goal is to eliminate the formation of bromoforms because we want meth(ane) baby (for what, who gives a fuck, biofuels won’t move the needle on anything but w/e). On the other hand, Rice paddies are actually a significant source of methane, almost as much as beef production if I’m not mistaken, and people are actually trying to introduce bromoforms to eliminate methanogenesis, and seaweeds/algae are a candidate.