Methane Gas?

Question

If both people and cows give off Methane Gas when they crap/fart, why does cow crap smell so much worse?

Answer 1

Doesn't have anything to do with methane. Methane is an odorLESS gas. The differences in smells has to do with the types of foods ingested and other gases produced by bacterial action in the digestive tract, like hydrogen sulfide.

Answer 2

>>>there is more and more evidence pointing to cosmological influences (such as decay of the moons orbit) that are out of our control. What utter rubbish. The moon is moving away from the Earth at an average of 3.8e-2 meters per year, and its orbit is, again on average, 3.84e8 meters. That's a whopping 1% change in the gravitational impact of the Moon on Earth over 51 MILLION years. There's not even a causal relationship between the Moon's orbit and temperatures on Earth, other than tidal heating which would DECREASE as the Moon moves away. Sorry Dana, the suggestion of stopping methane would in my opinion be a waste of time as well. The opposition to carbon dioxide limitation is not all based in the effects on the economy, a good deal is because these people don't even accept that AGW is true. While there may be less opposition to methane emissions if it can be shown that the economic impact wouldn't be as widespread as that of CO2, the time for actual legislation to pass would be still comparatively large. A short term solution in the long term is not a sufficient answer to any problem.

Answer 3

Find the difference in the amounts and species of microbial activity, and you'll find your answer

Here's a head start:
The four compartments of the cattle stomach are the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum (Figure 2). The rumen is the largest compartment, and it contains billions of bacteria, protozoa, molds, and yeasts. These microorganisms live in a symbiotic manner with the cow, and they are the reason cattle can eat and digest large amounts of roughage. The rumen microorganisms are adaptable enough that cattle can digest a large variety of feeds from grass, hay, and corn to brewer's grains, corn stalks, silage, and even urea.

The bacteria and protozoa do most of the digestion of feeds for the cow. This is a tremendous factory. There are 25 to 50 billion bacteria and 200 to 500 thousand protozoa in every milliliter of rumen fluid (about 0.06 ounces). The microorganisms digest the plant fiber and produce volatile fatty acids. These fatty acids are absorbed directly through the rumen wall and supply 60 to 80 % of the energy needed by the cow. In addition to energy, the microorganisms produce protein including essential amino acids from the protein and nitrogen the cow ingests. Because the microbes can use nitrogen to make protein, cows can eat urea and other sources of non-protein nitrogen that would kill non-ruminants.

Answer 4

Because cows and humans eat and digest differently. Cows actually have four stomachs, while humans only have one. This is because cows have to digest cellulose (humans cannot digest this). Also, when a digestive system breaks down plant matter, more gas is built up and might make things a lot stinkier more often.

Answer 5

There are a number of biological differences between cows and human digestion. Cows eat cellulose, which bacteria in their stomach digest, then the cows eat the bacteria. This means double digestion, and in a low oxygen environment.

Also, cows are much bigger than humans.

Answer 6

Its not in all cases that cow's fart smell so uch worse.....do a closer review some humans fart is much much worse than you know....

Answer 7

because you are not actually smelling methane gas but rahter little tiny particles of poop, known as farticles, that are in the gas

Answer 8

The molar concentration of CH4.

Answer 9

Look what they eat.