1st E-Newsletter / May 2024

Source: Valio

• WHAT CANMILK IS ALL ABOUT
• MEET OUR TEAM
• ACTIVITIES OF THE PAST MONTHS
• SPOTLIGHT TOPIC: BARN MEASUREMENTS

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the CANMILK E-Newsletter - here you'll find everything from the latest project updates to exciting team highlights!

This issue is packed with project insights and a spotlight on barn measurements, taking you along on our journey towards a sustainable dairy industry.

Want to learn more? Then explore CANMILK online. Visit our website for in-depth information on our project, team, and activities or follow us on social media for real-time updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses of our ongoing work:

Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm for the CANMILK project. We hope you enjoy reading this issue.

Warm regards,

The CANMILK Project Team

CANMILK is a pioneering EU-funded project to innovate environmental engineering and methane reduction strategies in the dairy industry. Our mission is to create sustainable solutions that have a positive impact on both the dairy sector and the environment.

Currently there is no suitable way to treat dilute methane in animal barns. In order to reduce methane emissions quickly and reach the carbon neutrality by 2035, the new technical solutions must be efficient, have high potential for fast commercialization, and have investment and operation costs that are affordable for the farmers. This is the primary target of the CANMILK project.

CANMILK's ambitious goal is to develop a new technology for converting methane into CO2, a less harmful compound with 28 times less global warming potential than methane. Non-thermal plasma, also known as cold plasma, is used in everyday consumer applications such as fluorescent lamps and ozone generators. The CANMILK project is transforming this technology into an innovative, high-tech and cost-effective solution to combat methane emissions at the ppm level.

The successful realisation of this project requires a very strong interdisciplinary approach involving technical sciences, agriculture, economics and innovation management. The CANMILK consortium, led by the project coordinator VTT, consists of 7 partners from 5 European countries, covering all competences needed to achieve the project objectives. Learn more about the project partners and their contribution to the project: https://canmilk.eu/consortium/ 

Throughout the past year, CANMILK has been conducting two unique campaigns to measure methane concentration in a dairy barn. This data provides a new perspective on how methane, a strong green-house gas, is generated by cows and then diluted by the large volume of air within the barn.

Agricultural methane emissions are a significant source to global warming. Most of these emissions stem from rumination and belching of cattle. Within the EU, there are around 77 million cows on 1.8 million cattle farms. Each of these cows is a tiny methane point source, but their combined contribution totals 158 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent of methane emissions annually (4.5% of the EU’s total emissions).

The challenge within these barns lies in the highly diluted concentration of methane. There is about 20 – 200 ppm of methane in the barn air, which is far too low for traditional combustion technologies to be feasible. The CANMILK project is developing an innovative technology based on plasma and catalysis, with the potential to remove all traces of methane with feasible efficiency.

Source: Valio

The methane measurements campaigns were carried out together with a subcontractor, Aeromon Oy, in southern Finland, within a modern curtain-walled barn housing 240 cows. The barn was naturally ventilated with the automated curtain walls controlling the amount of inflowing air. During the total measurement period of eight weeks, encompassing both in winter and summer seasons, outside temperature varied from -15 °C up to +28 °C. The main finding from these measurements was the surprisingly strong impact of the outside temperature on the methane concentration, which was ten times higher on the coldest winter days compared to hot summer days.

The data gathered during the campaign will be used to model the methane formation and movement inside the barn. In later stages of the CANMILK project, the developed plasma-catalysis technology will be validated using synthetic barn air. The gas composition will be based on these measurements and can be adjusted to simulate the seasonal differences in the methane concentration.

M18 Meeting in Antwerp

In early February 2024, the CANMILK consortium gathered in Antwerp for a partner meeting marking month 18 of the project. Hosted at the University of Antwerp, where the PLASMANT research group is based, the meeting brought together all project partners to discuss the progress of the project and the next steps towards 2024.

Master thesis: Combined non-thermal plasma and catalytic oxidation of low concentration methane

A recent Master’s thesis by Irzam Javed, a student at the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology in Finland, conducted at VTT, explored the effect of non-thermal plasma and a hybridized plasma-catalysis system in methane abatement using a Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) reactor. The thesis was funded under the CANMILK project, which endeavors to develop an innovative approach utilizing cold plasma and a catalysis system to abate methane emissions emanating from cow barns.

Participation to the Young Scientist Forum 2024

In April 2024, Abhinash Kumar Singh gave a presentation at the Young Scientist Forum 2024, organised by the Finnish Catalysis Society. His presentation focused on the “Non thermal plasma-assisted catalysis for methane abatement”, which is the topic of his doctoral thesis and part of the research in the CANMILK project.

Hang on tight as we prepare for exciting adventures in the coming weeks and months! From industry conferences to collaborative workshops, stay tuned for updates on our upcoming endeavours and opportunities to engage with the CANMILK community.

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