Measurement of methane and co2 emissions from pigs in experimental stables

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00027162%3A_____%2F25%3AN0000177" target="_blank" >RIV/00027162:_____/25:N0000177 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.proquest.com/openview/b501e193fe7777bf33126314cc927fb6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=29462" target="_blank" >https://www.proquest.com/openview/b501e193fe7777bf33126314cc927fb6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=29462</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Measurement of methane and co2 emissions from pigs in experimental stables

Original language description

Climate change and other environmental topics are a worldwide issue, where agriculture plays an important role. Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the effective approaches to addressing global warming. Agriculture is a large contributor to GHG emissions and livestock production contributes 10% to 12% of total global GHG emissions. Cattle, pigs, and poultry represent the top three sources of carbon emissions among various animal species, with pork production being the second contributor. The feed production followed by manure management are the largest contributors to emissions of GHG in the whole industry. In livestock systems, proteins used in animal feeds are one of the most expensive and limiting ingredients in diet formulations. The production and supply of feeds are critical steps due to their environmental impact such as land use, land change, land occupation, and energy and water use. Soybean is the most common feed ingredient to supply protein to pigs. However, its production is linked to several issues related to environment. In recent years, research has been focusing on finding alternatives (e.g. locally produced legumes, insects, microalgae) to replace the soybean in pig feeds. Different methods for quantifying GHG emissions are used with respiration chambers being the best-known and well-described. Here, we present a method for measurement of methane and CO2 emissions in pigs fed with alternative sources of protein in experimental stables in Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, without the use of respiration chambers. For these experiments, finishing pigs (Sus scrofa domestica, >70 kg) were divided into three groups – control group, 25% replacement of soybean, and 50% replacement of soybean. In two rounds of experiments, pigs were fed with two different feeds. In the first feed, soybean was replaced with insect protein (black soldier fly larvae), in the second feed, with legume protein (Lupinus albus seed). The experiment took one month, and feces, blood samples and animal weight were taken regularly. At the end of the experiment, pigs were sent to the slaughterhouse to determine the influence of alternative feeds on meat quality. For the measurement of GHG emissions (methane and CO2), two instruments were used - SENSIT® HXG-3P detector and TESTO CO2 detector connected to TESTO 400 module with Bluetooth, respectively. Before measuring, the experimental room was cleaned, and pigs were fed. The local A/C system was switched off. After 2 hours, the measurement started – CO2 detector was placed on shelf (145 cm) and methane emissions were measured at three heights (10 cm, 110 cm and 240 cm). The aim of this study was to find a method to measure methane and CO2 emissions in experimental stables as an alternative to well-described and used respiration chambers. The next step will be to evaluate and compare the obtained data regarding the different feeds used in this study to contribute to Life cycle assessment (LCA). This method is used to assess and calculate the environmental impact of products throughout their entire lifecycle. The work was supported by Ministry of Agriculture grant QL24020427. [Physiological Research; Vol. 74, No. 5, (2025): 5P]

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

40101 - Agriculture

Project

<a href="/en/project/QL24020427" target="_blank" >QL24020427: Evaluation of the environmental impacts of feeding alternative protein sources in monogastric farm animals</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů