"Enteric fermentation" refers to the process of fermentation that occurs in the digestive system of certain animals, particularly in their stomachs or intestines.
Full definition
A second team report in Carbon Balance and Management journal that estimates of the carbon emissions from livestock — mostly methane
from enteric fermentation in dairy cows and other cattle — have been underestimated.
The authors re-evaluated the data used to calculate IPCC 2006 CH4 emission factors resulting from
enteric fermentation in dairy cows and other cattle, and manure management from dairy cows, other cattle and swine.
According to MAF, 98.7 % of agricultural methane comes from
ruminant enteric fermentation, released by burping; and is part of a natural closed loop that has nothing to do with fossil sequestered carbon.
«We then use this updated information to calculate new livestock methane emissions factors
for enteric fermentation in cattle, and for manure management in cattle and swine.»
They demonstrated that the latter approach consistently underestimates levels of GHG emissions because it fails to consider sufficiently the impacts of poorly performing animals, which are known to produce disproportionally large amounts of methane
through enteric fermentation.
«This microbial fermentation process, referred to
as enteric fermentation, produces [methane] as a byproduct, which can be exhaled or eructated by the animal.»
Agriculture is believed to account for roughly two - thirds of the total man - made CH4108 mainly from paddy rice fields, burning of biomass and ruminants (
enteric fermentation and animal waste treatment).
This encompasses an 8.4 % increase in CH4 from
enteric fermentation (digestion) in dairy cows and other cattle and a 36.7 % increase in manure management CH4 compared to IPCC - based estimates.
Agricultural sources include manure pits and cow burping from «
enteric fermentation,» which results from the digestive process of cattle.
Methane emissions are primarily from
enteric fermentation, such as the digestion of feed from livestock.
This brief gives an overview of
the enteric fermentation, which is a natural part of the digestive process of ruminants where microbes decompose and ferment feed present in the digestive tract to produce energy and protein along with methane.
The biogenic sources include agriculture (
enteric fermentation, rice paddies, and animal waste), biomass burning, and waste management (landfills, sewage).
Enteric fermentation is up on the list and contributes more than natural gas production according to the USEPA:
The report indicates that livestock products are also responsible for more greenhouse gases emissions than most other food sources, which are caused by feed production,
enteric fermentation, animal waste and land - use change.
Additionally, modifications to animal feeding practices may reduce emissions from
enteric fermentation.
Indeed, according to the EPA, so - called «
enteric fermentation» in cows and other ruminant animals, like sheep and goats, contributed 26 percent of the country's total emissions of methane, a hard - hitting greenhouse gas with much greater short term warming consequences than carbon dioxide does (though the latter packs a far greater long - term punch).