DSM invests in Scottish plant and helps climate by significantly reducing methane emissions from cows

DSM, with support from the Scottish government, is building a large-scale plant for the methane-inhibiting feed additive Bovaer in Dalry, Scotland. The group announced this at the Climate Summit in Glasgow.

Cutting global methane emissions is crucial to meeting the Paris Climate Agreement goal. Methane is an up to 25 times stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Methane is emitted into the atmosphere in huge quantities by cows, among others. The ruminant is therefore considered a climate sinner. On the one hand, fermentation in the digestive tract releases methane, which cows exhale. On the other hand, methane is produced from the slurry.

Dairy cows

Scientists around the world are looking for ways to change the dairy cow (8,000 to 10,000 liters of milk per year) into a more climate-friendly animal. DSM developed Bovaer; an enzyme that reduces methane emissions in cows by about 30 percent. A quarter teaspoon of Bovaer per day in the feed is already sufficient.

Gamechanger

The development of Bovaer, a potential game changer in the agricultural world, took more than ten years, according to DSM. The methane inhibitor came about after 45 trials on farms in 13 countries on four continents. Brazil and Chile were the first countries to grant full approval for Bovaer in September. DSM also expects a green light for the methane inhibitor from the European, American and Australian authorities around the turn of the year.

Brazilian meat producer JBS signed an agreement with DSM during the climate summit in Glasgow. In preparation for further scale-up, a large plant will be built in Dalry and is expected to be operational in 2025. DSM has been operating in Dalry for more than 60 years, producing high-quality micronutrients. The site is the only Western producer of vitamin C.

Source: De Limburger