Preconditions for Including the Effects of Urease and Nitrification Inhibitors in Emission Inventories.

Urease and nitrification inhibitors can reduce ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizers and manure but their effectiveness depends on the conditions under which they are used. Consequently, it is essential for the credibility of emission reductions reported in regulatory emission inventories that their effectiveness is assessed under real-world conditions and not just in the laboratory. Here, we specify the criteria we consider necessary before the effects of inhibitors are included in regulatory emission inventories.

An integral assessment of the impact of diet and manure management on whole-farm greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions in dairy cattle production systems using process-based models.

Feed management decisions are crucial in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) and nitrogen (N) emissions from ruminant farming systems. However, assessing the downstream impact of diet on emissions in dairy production systems is complex, due to the multifunctional relationships between a variety of distinct but interconnected sources such as animals, housing, manure storage, and soil. Therefore, there is a need for an integral assessment of the direct and indirect GHG and N emissions that considers the underlying processes of carbon (C), N and their drivers within the system.

In-vitro method and model to estimate methane emissions from liquid manure management on pig and dairy farms in four countries.

Methane (CH) emissions from manure management on livestock farms are a key source of greenhouse gas emissions in some regions and for some production systems, and the opportunities for mitigation may be significant if emissions can be adequately documented. We investigated a method for estimating CH emissions from liquid manure (slurry) that is based on anaerobic incubation of slurry collected from commercial farms. Methane production rates were used to derive a parameter of the Arrhenius temperature response function, lnA', representing the CH production potential of the slurry at the time of sampling.

Mitigation of gaseous emissions from dairy livestock: A farm-level method to examine the financial implications.

Feeding the world's population while minimising the contribution of agriculture to climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing modern society. This challenge is particularly pronounced for dairy production where the carbon footprint of products and the mitigation costs are high, relative to other food stuffs. This paper reviews a number of mitigation measures that may be adopted by dairy farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their farms.

Effects of environmental and housing system factors on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from cattle barns: A meta-analysis of a global data collation.

This study provides a meta-analysis on the relationships between cattle barn CH, NH and NO emission rates and their key drivers (i.e., housing type, floor type, environmental conditions).

Costs and effects of measures to reduce ammonia emissions from dairy cattle and pig production: A comparison of country-specific estimations and model calculations.

Understanding the costs of emission abatement measures is essential for devising reduction efforts. It allows to identify cost-effective solutions to achieve target values set by international agreements or national policies. This work aims to summarize and discuss the current knowledge on costs and effects associated with selected ammonia (NH) mitigation measures in livestock production through comparison of country-specific and model-estimated values.

Assessment of the biochemical methane potential of in-house and outdoor stored pig and dairy cow manure by evaluating chemical composition and storage conditions.

Biogas production is a suitable option for producing energy from dairy and pig manure types. During manure storage, organic matter degradation results in methane emissions decreasing the potential biogas yield. The present research advances the understanding of the biochemical methane potential (BMP) and the chemical characteristics of manure collected year-round from sequential stages of the liquid manure management chain of commercial dairy cow and pig farms.

Influence of key factors on ammonia and nitrous oxide emission factors for excreta deposited by livestock and land-applied manure.

Ammonia (NH) and nitrous oxide (NO) emissions from livestock manure management have a significant impact on air quality and climate change. There is an increasing urgency to improve our understanding of drivers influencing these emissions. We analysed the DATAMAN ("DATAbase for MANaging greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions factors") database to identify key factors influencing (i) NH emission factors (EFs) for cattle and swine manure applied to land and (ii) NO EFs for cattle and swine manure applied to land, and (iii) cattle urine, dung and sheep urine deposited during grazing.

DATAMAN: A global database of methane, nitrous oxide, and ammonia emission factors for livestock housing and outdoor storage of manure.

Livestock manure management systems can be significant sources of nitrous oxide (N O), methane (CH ), and ammonia (NH ) emissions. Many studies have been conducted to improve our understanding of the emission processes and to identify influential variables in order to develop mitigation techniques adapted to each manure management step (animal housing, outdoor storage, and manure spreading to land). The international project DATAMAN (http://www.

Comparison of nitrogen losses from different manure treatment and application management systems in China.

There is a worldwide focus on reducing the environmental impacts of livestock manure management. In China, there are different manure treatment and application modes, including complete treatment to remove nitrogen (N) for direct discharge into watercourses. But we lack a systematic quantitative comparison of the environmental losses that occur from different management modes.

Ammonia and nitrous oxide emission factors for excreta deposited by livestock and land-applied manure.

Manure application to land and deposition of urine and dung by grazing animals are major sources of ammonia (NH ) and nitrous oxide (N O) emissions. Using data on NH and N O emissions following land-applied manures and excreta deposited during grazing, emission factors (EFs) disaggregated by climate zone were developed, and the effects of mitigation strategies were evaluated. The NH data represent emissions from cattle and swine manures in temperate wet climates, and the N O data include cattle, sheep, and swine manure emissions in temperate wet/dry and tropical wet/dry climates.

Particulate matter emissions during field application of poultry manure - The influence of moisture content and treatment.

Along with industry and transportation, agriculture is one of the main sources of primary particulate matter (PM) emissions worldwide. Bioaerosol formation and PM release during livestock manure field application and the associated threats to environmental and human health are rarely investigated. In the temperate climate zone, field fertilization with manure seasonally contributes to local PM air pollution regularly twice per year (spring and autumn).

Methane emissions from the storage of liquid dairy manure: Influences of season, temperature and storage duration.

Methane emissions from livestock manure are primary contributors to GHG emissions from agriculture and options for their mitigation must be found. This paper presents the results of a study on methane emissions from stored liquid dairy cow manure during summer and winter storage periods. Manure from the summer and winter season was stored under controlled conditions in barrels at ambient temperature to simulate manure storage conditions.

DATAMAN: A global database of nitrous oxide and ammonia emission factors for excreta deposited by livestock and land-applied manure.

Nitrous oxide (N O), ammonia (NH ), and methane (CH ) emissions from the manure management chain of livestock production systems are important contributors to greenhouse gases (GHGs) and NH emitted by human activities. Several studies have evaluated manure-related emissions and associated key variables at regional, national, or continental scales. However, there have been few studies focusing on the drivers of these emissions using a global dataset.

Direct Measurements of the Volume Flow Rate and Emissions in a Large Naturally Ventilated Building.

The direct measurement of emissions from naturally ventilated dairy barns is challenging due to their large openings and the turbulent and unsteady airflow at the inlets and outlets. The aim of this study was to quantify the impacts of the number and positions of sensors on the estimation of volume flow rate and emissions. High resolution measurements of a naturally ventilated scaled building model in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel were done.

Functional relationship of particulate matter (PM) emissions, animal species, and moisture content during manure application.

Livestock manure is recycled to agricultural land as organic fertilizer. Due to the extensive usage of antibiotics in conventional animal farming, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are highly prevalent in feces and manure. The spread of wind-driven particulate matter (PM) with potentially associated harmful bacteria through manure application may pose a threat to environmental and human health.

The value of manure - Manure as co-product in life cycle assessment.

Livestock production is important for food security, nutrition, and landscape maintenance, but it is associated with several environmental impacts. To assess the risk and benefits arising from livestock production, transparent and robust indicators are required, such as those offered by life cycle assessment. A central question in such approaches is how environmental burden is allocated to livestock products and to manure that is re-used for agricultural production.

Comparison of ammonia emissions related to nitrogen use efficiency of livestock production in Europe.

The increasing global demand for food and the environmental effects of reactive nitrogen losses in the food production chain, increase the need for efficient use of nitrogen (N). Of N harvested in agricultural plant products, 80% is used to feed livestock. Because the largest atmospheric loss of reactive nitrogen from livestock production systems is ammonia (NH), the focus of this paper is on N lost as NH during the production of animal protein.

Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from Different Stages of Liquid Manure Management Chains: Abatement Options and Emission Interactions.

Farm livestock manure is an important source of ammonia and greenhouse gases. Concerns over the environmental impact of emissions from manure management have resulted in research efforts focusing on emission abatement. However, questions regarding the successful abatement of manure-related emissions remain.

Challenges and priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens in the context of climate change.

Climate change has the potential to impair livestock health, with consequences for animal welfare, productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, and human livelihoods and health. Modelling has an important role in assessing the impacts of climate change on livestock systems and the efficacy of potential adaptation strategies, to support decision making for more efficient, resilient and sustainable production. However, a coherent set of challenges and research priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens under climate change has not previously been available.

Utilization of by-products from ethanol production as substrate for biogas production.

The aims of this work were to determine the specific biogas yields of steam-exploded sugarcane straw and bagasse as well as to estimate their energy potential under Brazilian conditions. Steam-explosion was carried out under different time and temperature conditions. The specific biogas yields were analyzed in batch-tests according to VDI 4630.

Methane production through anaerobic digestion of various energy crops grown in sustainable crop rotations.

Biogas production is of major importance for the sustainable use of agrarian biomass as renewable energy source. Economic biogas production depends on high biogas yields. The project aimed at optimising anaerobic digestion of energy crops.

Methane oxidation in slurry storage surface crusts.

Livestock manure is a significant source of atmospheric methane (CH4), especially during liquid storage. In liquid manure (slurry) storages a surface crust may form naturally, or an artificial surface crust can be established. We investigated whether there is a potential for CH4 oxidation in this environment.