Moo-thane: A feasibility study into a net-zero enabling intelligent-housing technology to remove dilute methane emissions from livestock.

Methane from the digestive systems of livestock accounts for over 50% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. This is a major barrier for the sector meeting net-zero. Around 1/3rd is released indoors, and could be removed in barn ventilation systems if suitable technology existed.

This project pulls together a team spanning commercial, engineering and scientific aspects to demonstrate the feasibility of a catalytic process to decompose dilute methane. Building on already developed technology that decomposes dilute methane (e.g. in coal mining), deployment to the agricultural sector requires an additional process to first concentrate the very dilute methane in barn air.

PCR: There is no change in the aim of the project, just a request for one of the partners, Durham University, who have slightly overspent on staffing and would like to use underspend on consumables to cover the additional staff spend. The reallocation of funds option was greyed out so selected this as the most appropriate change.