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Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from Slurry Storage: Impacts of Temperature and Potential Mitigation through Covering (Pig Slurry) or Acidification (Cattle Slurry)
Author(s) -
Misselbrook Tom,
Hunt John,
Perazzolo Francesca,
Provolo Giorgio
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2015.12.0618
Subject(s) - slurry , ammonia , environmental science , greenhouse gas , waste management , environmental engineering , environmental chemistry , chemistry , ecology , engineering , biology , organic chemistry
Storage of livestock slurries is a significant source of methane (CH 4 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions to the atmosphere, for which accurate quantification and potential mitigation methods are required. Methane and NH 3 emissions were measured from pilot‐scale cattle slurry (CS) and pig slurry (PS) stores under cool, temperate, and warm conditions (approximately 8, 11, and 17°C, respectively) and including two potential mitigation practices: (i) a clay granule floating cover (PS) and (ii) slurry acidification (CS). Cumulative emissions of both gases were influenced by mean temperature over the storage period. Methane emissions from the control treatments over the 2‐mo storage periods for the cool, temperate, and warm periods were 0.3, 0.1, and 34.3 g CH 4 kg −1 slurry volatile solids for CS and 4.4, 20.1, and 27.7 g CH 4 kg −1 slurry volatile solids for PS. Respective NH 3 emissions for each period were 4, 7, and 12% of initial slurry N content for CS and 12, 18, and 28% of initial slurry N content for PS. Covering PS with clay granules reduced NH 3 emissions by 77% across the three storage periods but had no impact on CH 4 emissions. Acidification of CS reduced CH 4 and NH 3 emissions by 61 and 75%, respectively, across the three storage periods. Nitrous oxide emissions were also monitored but were insignificant. The development of approaches that take into account the influence of storage timing (temperature) and duration on emission estimates for national emission inventory purposes is recommended. Core Ideas Gaseous emissions from livestock slurry storage are strongly influenced by storage temperature. Slurry acidification is an effective treatment to reduce CH 4 and NH 3 emissions. Covering with a layer of clay granules is effective at reducing NH 3 , but not CH 4 , emission. Methane conversion factors in national inventories should account for storage timing and duration.