Meeting sustainability objectives with IntelliBond

  • Mineral Nutrition

Progressive feed compounders and premixers are being asked by their customers to provide the total carbon footprint of the feeds / premixes they are manufacturing. This demand is being driven by the industry’s need to reduce the total carbon footprint associated with the production of livestock to comply with a series of climate accords. Reports indicate that 27% of the total carbon footprint of a dairy farm are emissions from on-farm supply sources, including emissions from the production of feed supplied to the farm. So how can Trace Minerals help achieve these goals?

11/12/2023

Selko® IntelliBond®: First trace mineral with a validated LCA

The Selko® IntelliBond® family of trace minerals is the first source of improved trace mineral nutrition to provide an independent verification for the total CO2eq values of its products. The availability of these values will allow feed compounders, premixers and nutritionists to better formulate their blends to comply with their customers’
need to reduce CO2eq emissions associated with livestock production.

Life Cycle Assessments as a tool to validate CO2 emission

To assist with the need to indicate their carbon emissions, Selko completed a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to verify the total carbon footprint of its Selko® IntelliBond® Copper, Zinc and Manganese trace mineral products (see Figure 1). 

Product CO2 eq/ Mt Product CO2 eq/ Kg Metal %Metal
Selko® IntelliBond® C 2.58 Mt 4.78 Kg 54%
Selko® IntelliBond® Z 1.98 Mt 3.60 Kg 55%
Selko® IntelliBond® M 2.57 Mt 5.84 Kg 44%

Figure 1: CO2 equivalents per metric ton of Selko® IntelliBond® produced and per kg of metal for Selko® IntelliBond® C, Selko® IntelliBond® Z and Selko® IntelliBond® M.

Calculating CO2footprint of your feed’s minerals with Selko® IntelliBond®

The LCA is an accepted tool that organizes a comprehensive review of the ability of a product, ingredient, practice etc. to reduce carbon emissions under a well-defined set of conditions.  The CO2eq number helps nutritionists and manufacturers to choose the best ingredients for their feed. They want to lower the total CO2eq of the feed without losing its nutritional value. IntelliBond is a trace mineral source that has a low CO2eq number. The LCA for Selko IntelliBond was done recently and verified by an independent reviewer. The CO2eq number for each Selko IntelliBond product is shown in Figure 1. Feed compounders and premixers can use this number to reduce the carbon footprint of their products.

About IntelliBond

Selko® IntelliBond® is the first line of hydroxy trace minerals for use in animal feeds IntelliBond is proven to be an effective source of copper, zinc, and manganese for animals. The low solubility of IntelliBond at neutral pH results in less interaction in the feed/premix and in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This means more metal is available for use by the animal where it is needed most. Exclusive OptiSize® particle technology creates uniform particles, making IntelliBond non-hygroscopic.

The impact of Selko IntelliBond on methane emission per kg of milk produced

Reports indicate that 27% of the total carbon footprint of a dairy farm are emissions from on-farm supply sources, including emissions from the production of feed supplied to the farm. Therefore, beyond the need to lower the carbon footprint of the cow is the growing need of premixers and feed compounders to provide their customers with a total CO2eq number for the feed they are selling to their customers. Selko can help you with meeting the targets for reduction of the carbon footprint as replacing sulfate trace minerals with Selko IntelliBond trace minerals in lactating cows will result in a reduction of methane emission by 1.5-2%.