Introducing rapeseed cake into livestock feed can cut methane and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 13%, say initial findings from the Life-Seed Capital project. They added that rapeseed feed also improves digestive efficiency in ruminants by 4.4% to 10.1%, reducing fermentation (and hence emissions) by 6.2% to 11.8%.
Rapeseed cake is a by-product produced after pressing the plant to extract its oil. The cake is added to livestock feed as a substitute for soybean meal, while the oil is used in vegetable-based biofuels and diesels. Using all of the plant, with no waste, boosts producer profits, says the study.
As a rotation crop, rapeseed can also increase cereal productivity and improve soil structure, making it an attractive choice for feed producers. Authors of the study hope its findings will "keep the ‘conflict’ between biofuel production and human food to a minimum", said a European Commission note on the project.
Methane production from food production globally accounts for 37% of all human-induced production, and 64% of ammonia production, a significant cause of acid rain.
"The harmful environmental effects of livestock production are becoming increasingly serious at all levels and urgently need to be addressed," said Irati Kortabitarte, a project researcher. "Carbon dioxide-neutral systems will be a key issue for future farming, since this will open the energy markets for farmers and contribute to sustainability."
The research has been coordinated by the NEIKER-Tecnalia agriculture research group, owned by the Basque regional government in Spain, working with CEMITEC, a Spanish industrial technology centre. The project has a budget just exceeding €1m, with more than half funded by the EU.