Use of Nitrates and Sulphates as Hydrogen Sink in Reducing Enteric Methane Production

Abstract Methane (CH4) and other gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), are green house gases (GHGs) that aggravates the effects of solar and thermal radiation on surface and atmospheric temperature. CH4 is the second largest GHG having 21 times more heat generation potential than CO2. Global livestock agriculture was responsible for 18% of the anthropogenic GHG emissions annually. CH4 production in the rumen accounts for 2–12 % loss of gross energy and consequently influence performance of ruminants. So, reducing ruminant CH4 emissions is an important objective for ensuring the sustainability of ruminant-based livestock farming. CH4 is formed in the rumen by methanogens (part of the domain Archaea), mainly from H2 and CO2. Within the rumen microbial food web, methanogens perform the beneficial task of removing H2, that allows reduced cofactors to be reoxidized and recycled, thereby enhancing the breakdown and fermentation of plant material. Therefore, rumen CH4 mitigation strategies need to consider alternative routes of H2 utilization. Nitrates and sulphates are potent inhibitors of CH4 in many anaerobic system including rumen; these salts have greater affinity for H2 as compared to CO2 resulting in net reduction in CH4 production. Experimental evidence suggest that nitrate and sulphate inhibit CH4 production both in vitro and in vivo without any adverse effect on rumen fermentation but the drawback is that nitrate is toxic to the animals; so supplementation at lower level helps the animal to acclimatize and reduces the chances of toxicity Keywords: Methane (CH4), sulphates, hydrogen, methanogens, fermentation Cite this Article Uniyal S, Mishra AK, Aswin K, et al. Use of Nitrates and Sulphates as Hydrogen Sink in Reducing Enteric Methane Production. Research & Reviews: Journal of Veterinary Science and Technology. 2016; 5(2): 5–8p.