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CH4 Global will meet the growing global demand for enteric methane mitigation solutions in animal agriculture

CH4 Global, Inc., a climate tech company on the path to radically reducing GHG emissions in animal agriculture, announced it has raised $29 million in Series B funding. The company will use the funds to build and validate the CH4 Global EcoPark, an aquaculture and production facility that will make CH4 Global’s signature product, Methane Tamer, at scale.

This round, led by DCVC, DCVC Bio, and Cleveland Avenue – with participation from other investors with a strong interest in climate change – brings the total raised to date to nearly $47 million. It also underscores market demand for safe, viable solutions to vastly reduce enteric methane from ruminant livestock.

When added to cattle feed, Methane Tamer—which uses red seaweed (Asparagopsis)—reduces the animal’s methane emissions by up to 90% while also reducing the feed energy lost to methane emissions. With the development of its CH4 Global EcoPark, the company is poised for expansion in key markets and with key partners throughout all six inhabitable continents.

This is a key development in the fight against climate change. The 1.5 billion cows on the planet produce more than 150 million tons of methane annually — the largest single source of methane globally. At more than 12 billion tons CO2-e per year (at an average of 100 kg methane/cow), this is a larger GHG output than from the US, the EU, and India combined. Moreover, the UN cites methane as over 80 times more impactful than CO2 on global warming over the next 20 years.

“We are receiving massive interest from governments, food producers and farmers of all sizes, fueling our sense of urgency that we must act now to avoid a climate tipping point. The pressure is on with new regulations and the desire to produce at a measurably lower impact. What we’ve developed at CH4 Global is what we call a CH4 Global EcoPark, which enables low-cost growth and processing of Asparagosis.” said Steve Meller, PhD, co-founder and CEO, of CH4 Global. “We are formulating our unique feed supplement product, Methane Tamer, to meet the specific needs of each cattle market segment, starting with feedlot operations, beef and dairy, as well as for grazing dairies. Eventually, we will also formulate for remote and generally unattended cattle around the world.”

“CH4 Global’s secret sauce is its product, plain and simple: the feed additive it has expertly formulated stands apart from other seaweed-based offerings,” said John Hamer PhD, Managing Partner at DCVC Bio and a member of the CH4 Global board of directors. “DCVC Bio is thrilled to back Steve and his exceptional team: they are ready to scale up a critical solution to climate change.”

CH4 Global will meet the growing global

Additionally, Rs 6000 crore can be saved annually by blending 20 per cent DME

Methanol is a low-carbon, hydrogen carrier fuel produced from high ash coal, agricultural residue, CO2 from thermal power plants and natural gas. It is the best pathway for meeting India’s commitment to COP 21.

NITI Aayog’s ‘Methanol Economy’ programme is aimed at reducing India’s oil import bill, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and converting coal reserves and municipal solid waste into methanol. 

Although slightly lower in energy content than petrol and diesel, methanol can replace both these fuels in the transport sector (road, rail and marine), energy sector (comprising DG sets, boilers, process heating modules, tractors and commercial vehicles) and retail cooking (replacing LPG [partially], kerosene and wood charcoal). The blending of 15 per cent methanol in gasoline can result in at least a 15 per cent reduction in the import of gasoline/crude oil. In addition, this would bring down GHG emissions by 20 per cent in terms of particulate matter, NOx, and SOx, thereby improving the urban air quality.

The methanol Economy will also create close to 5 million jobs through methanol production/application and distribution services. Additionally, Rs 6000 crore can be saved annually by blending 20 per cent DME (Di-methyl Ether, a derivative of methanol) in LPG. This will help the consumer in saving between Rs 50-100 per cylinder.

The Bureau of Indian Standards has notified 20 per cent DME blending with LPG, and a notification for M-15, M-85 and M-100 blends has been issued by the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. Test standards and plans for the M-15 blend are being evolved in consultation with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited, the Automotive Research Association of India and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. In the railway sector, RDSO is working towards blending methanol in the range of 5-20 per cent through direct fuel injection in locomotives.

On 5 October 2018, Assam Petrochemicals launched Asia’s first canister-based methanol cooking fuel programme. This initiative is an extension of our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of reducing the import of crude oil and striving towards the provision of a clean, cost-effective and pollution-free cooking medium. Methanol stoves can result in at least 20% savings for households. After the success of the pilot, the methanol cooking programme was scaled up to 1,00,000 households in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Manipur.

Five methanol plants based on high ash coal, five DME plants, and one natural gas-based methanol production plant with a capacity of 20 MMT/annum, in a joint venture with Israel, have been planned to be set up. Three boats and seven cargo vessels are being built by the Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Inland Waterways Authority of India to use methanol as a marine fuel.

Thermax Ltd has successfully developed a 5 KW methanol-based reformer on a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC). This module is being tested to replace DG sets in mobile towers. For direct electricity generation, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd has converted a 5 KW generator set to run on 100% methanol. Kirloskar is working towards converting generator sets of 150-300 KVA/KW capacity, in collaboration with Dor Chemicals, Israel.

Under R&D, work is in progress to set up coal-to-methanol plants in the country using indigenous technology, which is being developed by BHEL (Hyderabad and Trichy), Thermax, and IIT Delhi. Thermax and IIT Delhi are working on a TPD demonstration plant, while BHEL Hyderabad and Trichy are working on 1 TPD and 40 TPD demonstration plants, respectively. 

An R&D project has also been sanctioned by the Department of Biotechnology to IISc Bengaluru and Praj Industries Pune for the production of methanol from biomass. Phase-I of the production of syngas from biomass was demonstrated in January 2019.

Additionally, Rs 6000 crore can be saved

The report shares insights into sustainability transformation as the company drives action across its four strategic priorities of advancing soil health and soil carbon sequestration through smart solutions

AGCO, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology, has recently released its 2021 Sustainability Report.

“In 2020, we established AGCO’s sustainability strategy and have made meaningful progress in 2021 against our goals,” said Eric Hansotia, AGCO’s Chairman, President and CEO. “These early results have confirmed that our commitment to precision agriculture innovation places us on the right path to addressing sustainability.”

The report shares insights into sustainability transformation as the company drives action across its four strategic priorities of advancing soil health and soil carbon sequestration through smart solutions; decarbonising our operations and products; elevating employee health and safety; and prioritising animal welfare in food production. It represents a significant step forward in measuring and demonstrating our progress against our goals and commitments set in 2020, including:

  • Completing a global climate risk assessment and disclosing against the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework in inaugural TCFD report.
  • 13 per cent reduction in GHG emission intensity (scope 1 and 2)
  • 52 per cent renewable electricity use, up from 40 per cent and 32 per cent renewable energy use, up from 27 per cent.

“Our 2021 Sustainability Report shows AGCO is committed to accelerating progress in sustainability into our design, manufacturing, and distribution of smart agricultural solutions across the entire value chain,” said Roger Batkin, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief ESG Officer, and Corporate Secretary.

The report shares insights into sustainability transformation