Adding algae to food reduces emissions in livestock.
Cultivating rice also generates methane, a fact that prompted a Swedish-based research team to take action. The source lies in substances secreted by rice roots and metabolised by microorganisms.
Studies involving a bioengineered rice strain with low methane emission showed that two substances in particular had a decisive influence. Secreted salts called fumarate led to more gas being produced; ethanol, meanwhile, to less.
Armed with this knowledge, the team interbred two natural types of rice with corresponding properties, and found that it was possible to reduce methane production by as much as 70% during cultivation.
Elsewhere, work is underway to invent high-yield non-GMO crops and to convert methane into biomaterial.
