Global warming due to accumulation of gases in the atmosphere, including methane, advanced effects, namely climate change and environmental conditions are deteriorating earth. However, much attention has been focused on carbon gas pressure. In fact, methane is the biggest cause of global warming. So, later began to be directed at the target gas on this one. Source of methane gas or CH is everywhere, not just from the swamp or wetlands. Methane gas can also arise due to human activities, ranging from the toilet in the household, agricultural land, and livestock, to a landfill. However, the most prominent producers of methane are agriculture and livestock sectors.
As reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2006, the farming industry recorded gas emissions causing the greenhouse effect is the predominant methane (37 percent), while carbon dioxide (CO), only 9 percent. Still according to the FAO, the global scope of any farming industry contributor of greenhouse gas emissions (Grk) the highest, namely 18 percent, exceeding even gas emissions from the transportation sector, which is only 13 percent.
Start up
Volume of methane that surrounds the earth's surface may not amount to much. In the bowels of the earth and the Arctic seabed buried 400 billion tons of this gas, or 3,000 times the volume in the atmosphere. However, gradually these gases from the permafrost began to rise from his grave due to be exploited for energy sources. In addition, the melting ice at the poles also occur due to global warming. Loss of methane gas in a large amount of oxygen content caused a decline in the face of this earth to cause the extinction of more than 94 percent of species on earth.
Dr. Kirk Smith, professor of global environmental health from the University of California, United States,
warned of the threat of this gas. We have the world focuses on strategies to reduce emissions of CO, but few are concentrating on reducing methane emissions. In fact, methane gas classified as dangerous, not only effect the real Grk, but also helps the formation of ozone at ground level harmful to human health.
High content of methane would reduce the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere. If the oxygen content in the air to below 19.5 percent, will result in loss of consciousness aspiksi or living things due to lack of oxygen in the body. Increased methane also increase the risk of flammable and exploded in the air. The reaction of methane and oxygen will cause CO and water.
Crush Methane
Efforts to suppress the emission of methane into the atmosphere recently has begun intensively conducted in the country that has the largest rice paddy field, namely India and China. Indonesia did not miss. One way is by applying cultivation system called the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The pattern of rice cultivation is aiming to reduce the granting of water in paddy field. Because the unknown, with limited water conditions, the production of methane gas by anaerobic microbes decreased.
This farming system was first introduced by missionaries from France, Henri de Laulanie, in Madagascar in 1983. Rice planting pattern was then developed by Prof. Norman Ufhop and eventually spread to Asia, like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. At SRI, by reducing water and seeds ranged 40 to 80 percent, the rice crop can actually increase 50 to 70 percent compared to the conventional ways that range from 4 to 5 tons per hectare. Now, more than 13,000 farmers have to apply SRI on about 9,000 hectares of land.
Efforts to suppress methane emissions from rice cultivation is also pursued by seeking Sudiana microbes that play a role in the release of methane into the atmosphere and the oxidizing methane. In the conventional rice cultivation in flooded anaerobic microbes that metanogen or work in conditions without air. These bacteria produce methane gas. Methane emissions in rice fields in the SRI system was also produced by bacteria that exist in metanogenik gut of earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa, Lumbricus rubellus, and Octolasion lacteum), which is now a hole earthworms to improve soil aeration fields.
In his research with researchers from the University of Tokyo and Otsuka found in Sukabumi, competing microbial communities, which are consumed or metanotropik oxidize methane gas, into methanol. Thus, to suppress the emission of methane gas produced should be added gypsum metanogen (CaSO. 2HO) which can stimulate the growth metanotropik-competitors.
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That way, metanogen depressed microbial growth," said Sudiana, who won a doctoral field of microbial population dynamics from the University of Tokyo, Japan.
Furthermore, in the lab of Biology LIPI Research Center in Cibinong, Sudiana able to isolate three genes in the microbes metanotropik. Isolation lasted for two months. Inokulan found last year that called Metrop 09 and became culture collection of this research institute. Inokulan Metrop stability testing is still needed this year to ensure that the response does not change if the genes are in different environments.
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Later inokulan can in developing breeding and bio-fertilizers applied as a microbial consortium," said Sudiana. With that plus bio-fertilizers, will produce high-productivity plants, but the minimal production of methane.
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