SYDNEY, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers said on Thursday that they are set to mass produce a fluffy pink seaweed which can stop cows from burping out methane into the atmosphere.
The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) scientists said if they are able to produce enough seaweed for every cow in Australia, the country could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent.
The seaweed called Asparagopsis grows naturally along the Australian state of Queensland's coastline.
Despite the global interest, however, it was previously unclear whether it is feasible to have a large scale production.
"This seaweed has caused a lot of global interest and people around the world are working to make sure the cows are healthy, the beef and milk are good quality," USC Seaweed Research Group leader, Associate Prof. Nick Paul said.
"That's all happening right now. But the one missing step, the big thing that is going to make sure this works at a global scale, is to make sure we can produce the seaweed sustainably."
Once they get large scale manufacturing done right, Paul says that there should be no problem adapting the cows to their new diet.
"Seaweed is something that cows are known to eat. They will actually wander down to the beach and have a bit of a nibble."
