Zapping Manure with Lightning to Fight Pollution?

~ Becky Ross Michael

One of my recurring freelance projects is to write monthly about good news for kids. Recently, I read an article that adults could be very interested in, as well! You’ve probably read that the methane from cow poo, farts, and burps is more than 20 times as destructive for our environment than the carbon dioxide from our cars.

Short of ending or cutting back on the raising of cattle, what’s to be done? A Nordic company has come up with an idea that is now being tested in the UK. By producing artificial lightning bolts as plasma to zap manure, they are turning most of the ammonia to a usable form of natural fertilizer AND reducing almost all the methane emissions!

Truly great and promising news. Now we need to see how much governments are willing to chip in to help the farmers shoulder the costs of the electricity needed for the process. One thing is certain, we cannot just keep doing things the same.

Air pollution and climate change are real. What can you do today to help? Here are some “greener living” ideas from the EPA!

53 thoughts on “Zapping Manure with Lightning to Fight Pollution?”

  5. Interesting solution but as soon as the government gets involved…well. I’m sure they’ll find some way to not pay for anything healthy. I read the from the EPA but the thing I don’t understand…they want us do do this or that but why are companies allowed to sell things that are BAD for the environment and for us, in the first place. If horrible products are not available, people would buy safe alternatives. I don’t think companies should be allowed to sell things that are bad for the environment. It’s all about the money, however, no our health, or our lives. People are slow to change and some may never change at all. I don’t think rules and regulations will stop what’s happening but the STOPPING OF SELLING POISON will change everything.

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  7. I absolutely agree that companies and manufacturers should be banned from making certain goods or products they would then have to find healthier alternatives both for the environment and us…This sounds like a promising idea..we need drastic measures, not half measures :)x

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  12. Funny, I used to work for the provincial environment ministry in Ontario way back when and one of the videos on pollution I produced for them was called ‘No time to waste.’ That was 40 years ago! Nowadays one of the ‘greener’ things I do personally is eat less meat. Just cutting consumption in half can make a huge impact. But transforming cow farts is an interesting idea!

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  16. I have to wonder what kind of mind comes up with ideas like this? So outside the box and so innovative! Or maybe it’s just that mine doesn’t roll in the scientific direction. LOL.
    I am well aware of the greenhouse gasses resulting from meat production – thanks for bringing it to light here!

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  19. I laughed reading this and some of the comments. The younger generation will have to clean up our mess since so many are still in denial about it. It’s just too obvious to ignore any longer. Where I lived in the AZ mountains, they build a plant that took all the garden waste and used it to generate electricity. We gladly trucked out pine needles, etc to their dump site. Slowed down forest fires too.

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  20. Okay, I am a veggie.
    I recycle.
    I reuse.
    I re-purpose.
    I don’t own a car, on purpose.
    I sign petitions.
    I keep my home warm in the summer, and cool in the winter.
    I recently sewed halves of 2 bed sheets together, to make one.
    I have a small garden.
    I was using natural cleaning products until Covid. Now, I sneak in a bit of the bad stuff.

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      1. Oh! Thank you! I’m trying.
        I forgot to mention that I use public transportation.
        Of all I do, nothing is hard, or deprives me of a comfy life.
        I have a new Art Gown. They are all made from trash. They look like treasure.
        I’m so excited. I’ll be working on the post soon!

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