大象传媒

New poo-powered tractor could lead the way in sustainable farming

The New Holland T7Image source, CNH Industrial
Image caption,

It's hoped the New Holland T7 will reduce the carbon footprint of the farming industry

The world's first poo powered tractor has been unveiled and it could pave the way for more sustainable farming in the future.

Tractors are vital to farming processes today, but they produce carbon - a harmful greenhouse gas.

Cow burps and farts also have a huge impact, pumping more methane - another greenhouse gas - into the atmosphere.

But this new tech is hoping methane-filled cow pats will actually be one way to make the farming industry more eco-friendly, and reduce its carbon footprint.

Image source, CNH Industrial
Image caption,

The New Holland T7 being refuelled

Food production is said to be responsible for over one quarter of harmful greenhouse gas emissions - a direct driver of climate change.

But British company, Bennamann, has developed a machine which not only prevents the methane gas from smelly cow poo going into the atmosphere, but also cuts a farmer's carbon emissions in the process.

Did you know methane is more than 80 times more harmful to global warming than CO2 when measured over 20 years.

Image source, CNH Industrial

The methane gas from the dung is captured, treated and compressed to become a liquid which can be used as fuel instead of traditional diesel.

The tractor needs a special tank to store it in so it stays in liquid form but it's just as powerful and long-lasting and has a much smaller impact on the environment.

How much does using a tractor like this reduce CO2 emissions by? Well according to experts at New Holland it's around the same amount of CO2 as 140 houses in the UK would produce in a year!