Methane buster: WA climate technology company Rumin8 launches Wangara demonstration plant

A world-leading WA company with ambitions to reduce methane emissions in livestock and increase productivity has opened a new demonstration plant in Wangara. Rumin8, a climate technology company, aims to assist farmers by supplying feed supplements that lower methane emissions in livestock at both feedlot and pasture level. It comes at a time when farmers are faced with increased pressure to contribute more towards a low-carbon footprint. WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis joined Rumin8 chief executive David Messina and investors at the January 31 launch, where the group saw firsthand the patent-protected technology that transfers the compound tribromomethane into a useable feed additive. This bioactive compound prevents methane production in ruminant livestock by inhibiting the enzymatic pathway which produces methane at the last stage of digestion. Methane has a global warming effect 28 times that of CO2, causing livestock to contribute 16 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. “It’s our mission to decarbonise 100 million cattle by 2030, preventing 200 million tonnes of C02-e from entering the atmosphere,” Mr Messina said. “While several Australian companies have developed plant-based feed additives by extracting bromoform from harvested seaweed, Rumin8 is the first to reproduce and stabilise the bioactive chemical synthetically in a laboratory.” He said Rumin8 had already concluded successful animal trials in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and the US. Rumin8 trials with up to 63 head have achieved 0 to 9 per cent productivity benefits. “Now we need to refine the production of our formulations in a pharmaceutical manufacturing setting to demonstrate a range of outputs such as low cost, product integrity and quality assurance,” Mr Messina said. “The demonstration plant is a precursor to large-scale production, including pilot plants and full-scale commercial operations producing millions of doses.” He said the scale-up would take six to 12 months and the product would aim at options for farmers with the feed additive presented in a powder, granular or liquid form. Ms Jarvis said she was excited about the product. “The State Government is fully committed to a low-carbon environment,” she said. “Our WA farmers are the most efficient dry-land producers in the world.” She said while the State is recognised for its clean and green production, “it’s time we prove it”. Rumin8 has been in partnership with the University of WA and Murdoch University for testing and validation of the product. The company also has a partnership with Harvest Road and investors from the US including US billionaire Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. But some researchers have warned bromoform, which is categorised as a “probable” human carcinogen, can cause digestive problems. They argue that when methane is reduced in the rumen, hydrogen builds up causing inflammation, weight loss and reduced appetite. In an Algal Research abstract written by six authorities in November, including Murdoch University PhD candidate Ben Camer-Pesci, inclusion of bromoform was shown to adversely impact production of volatile fatty acids and feed intake. Mr Camer-Pesci said data collection on Asparagopsis red seaweed, the natural source of bromoform, yielded some concerning statistics. “Upon reading further into trials that had taken place, it became clear that the proposed technology was nowhere near a stage where it could be safely implemented,” he said. He said there was evidence of ulceration, haemorrhaging and inflammation in cows’ stomachs — they refused feed with higher bromoform concentrations. “In addition to this, milk production decreased and the milk that was being produced had higher levels of the chemical bromoform,” Mr Camer-Pesci said. Queensland-based Integrated Animal Production nutritionist Rob Lawrence said no large-scale beef producing commercial trials using a bromoform additive had shown improvements in daily gain. “I don’t dismiss bromoform as a methane-reducing feed additive, but more information is needed,” Dr Lawrence said. “Hydrogen build-up in the rumen is a real concern; maybe a balance is required for methane reduction without a loss in daily gain.”