MAKE: Blog: Fart power!

Fart power!

Well, they could use it for power. Physorg writes that Argentine scientists are capturing cow farts in plastic backpacks to try to understand the impact it has on global warming. They think that "30% of Argentina's total greenhouse gases could be generated by cattle." They're experimenting with feeding clover and alfalfa instead of grain - the cows that don't eat grain produce less methane. Hmm, Reuters says they're collecting burps - "At least 10 cows are being studied, Berra said, including some in a corral whose burps are collected in yellow balloons hanging from the roof."

(Insert your own burst seams and match lighting jokes here.)

More:
The power of poo

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Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: James on July 21, 2008 at 11:59 AM

burps?

The Mythbusters' "Young Scientists Special" featured a methane-produced-by-cattle segment, and it seems that some scientist dude told them that burps accounted for more cow-methane than farts. So, these cattle need giant plastic bags over their heads, too.

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