1d ago

Fuel to feed: U of A students create animal feed from coal

edmonton.citynews.ca Fuel to feed: U of A students create animal feed from coal

Ever heard of animal feed derived from coal? Yes, coal… Researchers at the University of Alberta are working with an Alberta-based startup Cv̄ictus, to get an edible coal-derived protein into the marketplace, replacing less eco-friendly ingredients in animal feed. Powered in part by a US$1.7-million...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/40670066

"University of Alberta is researching how to utilize coal to feed livestock. However, the animals wouldn’t technically be eating coal, instead the research team collects methanol from the coal being burned and then mixes it and dries it with bacteria protein.
“We can produce a higher quality product without having to make those trade-offs, while helping the environment,” said Mark Lawley, researcher at Cvictus Fermentation Group.
Lawley says it’s perfect for a carbon capture site, seeing it as a greener alternative."
University story about it here: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/2025/03/alberta-researchers-aim-to-revolutionize-animal-feed.html

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1d ago

CityNewsEdmonton

Fuel to feed: U of A students create animal feed from coal

edmonton.citynews.ca /2025/03/13/fuel-to-feed-u-of-a-students-create-animal-feed-from-coal/

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5 comments

Making food out of thin air sounds unreal. Someone out there is designing mobile carbon capture devices for cows, I’m sure of it.
- Plants come close, using nitrogen to make protein, and CO2 for carbohydrates.

This citynews article is poorly written, you should keep just the university release because it explains properly what happened, why, and the benefits of the method.

“We can produce a higher quality product without having to make those trade-offs, while helping the environment,” said Mark Lawley, researcher at Cvictus Fermentation Group.
Who paid for this research? The cattle association?
Helping the environment means ending the livestock industry and moving to a varied plant-based diet.
Stop our mono crops, and never mind wasting money trying to feed cattle "dried methanol mixed with bacteria protein" as if that's going to change anything other than make a cruel industry even more so.
- The citynew article is terrible, the university release explains things better, including highlighting the problems with the livestock industry they are trying to solve (also with the mining industry).
  Who paid for this research? The cattle association?
  The single cell protein (SCP) research is very old. In this specific case, it was https://www.cvictus.com/ that asked U of A to check if they could create protein with their hydrogen.
  Helping the environment means ending the livestock industry and moving to a varied plant-based diet.
  Humans consume a lot of SCP, people might be more comfortable with algae and fungi based, but it is not that uncommon to check the ingredient lists and see some "bacillus" in there, or Spirulina if you are into cooking.
  Bacteria yield more protein per volume, but sadly, they also can create toxins and might not taste as great as algae and fungi, that also adds to the importance of those kinds of research.
  A few papers down the line and these SCP can help us end the need for livestock.
  “dried methanol mixed with bacteria protein”
  That is not the case.
  Ending cruelty is an honourable cause, and also benefits us a lot. But the way you use your words reminded me of those Republicans defunding research and aid because the wording made them uncomfortable.