Open AccessCapture efficiency of four chamber designs for measuring ammonia emissions
Author(s) -
Alexander Jonathan R.,
Spackman Jared A.,
Wilson Melissa L.,
Fernández Fabián G.,
Venterea Rodney T.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
agrosystems, geosciences and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2639-6696
DOI - 10.1002/agg2.20199
Subject(s) - ammonia , volume (thermodynamics) , chemistry , environmental science , ionization chamber , environmental engineering , analytical chemistry (journal) , waste management , ion , environmental chemistry , physics , engineering , ionization , thermodynamics , organic chemistry
Ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions are an economically and environmentally significant loss pathway of fertilizer and soil‐derived N. Chambers are a commonly used method to quantify NH 3 emissions in plot‐scale agricultural research. Although this method is widely used, its accuracy may be influenced by the overall design of the chamber, its components, and its interaction with the environment. Four NH 3 chamber designs, including open, open + polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), semi‐open, and closed, were deployed over a dilute NH 3 solution for 6 h on four dates to determine the effect of chamber design on NH 3 capture efficiency. The solution volume and concentration were measured before and after acid trap deployment, and total volatile NH 3 emission was assumed to be equal to the mass N loss. The NH 3 capture efficiency relative to the estimated total emissions was greatest for the open design (12.9%), whereas the semi‐open chamber was the least efficient (3.5%). The closed chamber reduced NH 3 emissions relative to the open and semi‐open designs by inhibiting convective gas transport beneath the chamber footprint.