A measurement system for enteric CH4 emissions monitoring from ruminants in livestock farming

Abstract

In this paper, a proposal for an Internet-of-Things (IoT) based measurement system dealing with the enteric methane (CH4) emission monitoring from ruminants is presented. Herein, a brief overview of the recent advances in sensors technologies and their IoT integration for realizing measurement systems able to monitor the CH4 emissions in ruminants is also presented. Nowadays, it is confirmed that CH4 emissions, which are mainly produced during normal fermentation of feeds by the rumen microorganisms, are part of the Green-House Gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, a classification of the existing measurement methods, sensing technologies and their impact on the animal’s welfare is presented. The proposed measurement system, together with its sensing elements and the developed data acquisition system are also reported in this paper. A preliminary disposal and field trials of the developed system in a farm facility is given.