Did you know dangerous cow burps are a thing? Apparently the methane they emit was enough to cause an explosion in a barn that housed Elsie and her gassy pals. Turns out cows can’t digest the grass and plant materials they consume so they burp for relief. Trouble is it’s impacting the earth. In fact, according to a short video from the The American Chemical Society, the methane burps account for 7% of the greenhouse gas emissions. Some experimental farmers are trying to harness the burps and use the gas for good. But that’s not practical so now scientists are trying to inoculate cows in hopes that their burps won’t be methane rich. Who knew!?
Traci Purdum is Chemical Processing’s senior digital editor. There are certain foods that make her gassy, too. But to her knowledge her burps haven’t impacted air quality. You can email her at [email protected]