https://envisci.ucr.edu/ en https://envisci.ucr.edu/news/2026/03/31/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane-unless-they-leak <span>Cow manure digesters really cut methane — unless they leak</span> <span><span>Tracie Ventimiglia</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-03T15:43:44-07:00" title="Friday, April 3, 2026 - 15:43">Fri, 04/03/2026 - 15:43</time> </span> <a href="https://envisci.ucr.edu/news">More News</a> <picture> <source srcset="https://envisci.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_l/public/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane.png?h=c083cf6b&amp;itok=AlKPvmng 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1401px)" type="image/png" width="1170" height="450"> <source srcset="https://envisci.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_l/public/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane.png?h=c083cf6b&amp;itok=AlKPvmng 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1025px) and (max-width: 1400px)" type="image/png" width="1170" height="450"> <source srcset="https://envisci.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_m/public/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane.png?h=c083cf6b&amp;itok=gj2TJffO 1x" media="all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px)" type="image/png" width="1023" height="450"> <source srcset="https://envisci.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_s/public/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane.png?h=c083cf6b&amp;itok=79-pBqFJ 1x" type="image/png" width="767" height="767"> <img loading="eager" width="1170" height="450" src="https://envisci.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_l/public/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane.png?h=c083cf6b&amp;itok=AlKPvmng" alt="An image of five cows in a pen looking at the camera"> </picture> Jules Bernstein <time datetime="2026-03-31T12:00:00Z">March 31, 2026</time> <p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(69,90,100);"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-family:&quot;Fira Sans Regular&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">A new study shows that systems designed to capture methane from cow manure, called dairy digesters, are highly effective. But on the rare occasions they fail, the leaks are large enough to offset their climate benefits.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(69,90,100);"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-family:&quot;Fira Sans Regular&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">“I think manure emissions on dairies are underestimated. These digesters seem to be a solution that captures a lot of methane,” said Alyssa Valdez, a University of California, Riverside climate scientist and lead study author. “But I wanted to make sure they were working properly.”</span></span></p><p><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/03/31/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane-unless-they-leak" target="_blank"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(69,90,100);"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-family:&quot;Fira Sans Regular&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Read more</span></span></a></p> <div class="tags-title">Tags</div> <div class="tags-list"> <div><a href="https://envisci.ucr.edu/tags/alyssa-valdez" hreflang="en">Alyssa Valdez</a></div> </div> <div class="sharing-title">Share This</div><span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://envisci.ucr.edu/news/2026/03/31/cow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane-unless-they-leak" data-a2a-title="Cow manure digesters really cut methane — unless they leak"><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_x"></a><a class="a2a_button_linkedin"></a><a class="a2a_button_google_plus"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_printfriendly"></a><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" aria-label="more options to share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fenvisci.ucr.edu%2Fnews%2F2026%2F03%2F31%2Fcow-manure-digesters-really-cut-methane-unless-they-leak&amp;title=Cow%20manure%20digesters%20really%20cut%20methane%20%E2%80%94%20unless%20they%20leak"></a></span><script> (function () { const customClassName = 'show-for-sr'; const targetContainer = document.querySelector('.a2a_kit.addtoany_list'); if (!targetContainer) return; const addClassToLabels = () => { const labels = targetContainer.querySelectorAll('.a2a_label'); if (labels.length > 0) { labels.forEach(label => { if (!label.classList.contains(customClassName)) { label.classList.add(customClassName); } }); console.log('Successfully applied show-for-sr class to AddToAny labels.'); return true; } return false; }; const observerConfig = { childList: true, subtree: true }; const observer = new MutationObserver((mutationsList, observer) => { if (addClassToLabels()) { observer.disconnect(); } }); if (!addClassToLabels()) { observer.observe(targetContainer, observerConfig); } })(); </script> Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:43:44 +0000 Tracie Ventimiglia 655 at https://envisci.ucr.edu