Lowry A. Harper

Ammonia emissions from anaerobic swine lagoons: Model development

Concentrated animal production may represent a significant source for ammonia emissions to the environment. Most concentrated animal production systems use anaerobic or liquid/slurry systems for wasteholding; thus, it is desirable to be able to predict ammonia emissions from these systems. A process model was developed to use commonly available measurements, including effluent concentration, water temperature, wind speed, and effluent pH. The developed model simulated emissions, as measured by micrometeorological techniques, with an accuracy that explains 70% of the variability of the data using average daily emissions and explains 50% of the variability of the data using 4-h average data. The process model did not show increased accuracy over a statistical model, but the deviations between model and measurement were distributed more evenly in the case of the process model than in the case of the statistical model.

Soil, plant and atmospheric conditions as they relate to ammonia volatilization

Gaseous ammonia (NH3) transport is an important pathway in the terrestrial N cycle. In the atmosphere NH3 neutralizes airborne acids and is a major factor determining air quality and acid rain deposition patterns. Redeposition of atmospheric NH3 plays an important role in the N balance of natural ecosystems and has been implicated in forest decline, plant species change and eutrophication of surface water. Much of the N in soil-plant animal systems can be lost to the atmosphere, particularly with surface applied livestock waste, or urea and anhydrous ammonia fertilizers. Plants can have a significant impact on NH3 transport because they can both absorb and desorb atmospheric NH3. Under conditions of low soil N or high atmospheric NH3 concentrations, plants absorb NH3. Under conditions of high soil N or low atmospheric NH3 concentrations, plants volatilize NH3. This article discusses methods for evaluating NH3 transport in the filed, the rate of NH3 volatilized from fertilizer application, and the effects of plants on net NH3 transport.

Atmospheric ammonia: Issues on transport and nitrogen isotope measurement

Abstract Isotopes of nitrogen (15N) have been used to evaluate N transport in soil–plant systems, but these studies generally ignore the atmospheric component of N balance. Recent studies of atmospheric ammonia (NH3) transport have shown the gaseous N component can be significant due to emission and absorption exchanges with the atmosphere. The purpose of this paper is to review measurements of atmospheric N cycling made by ourselves and others, and investigate how atmospheric transport may influence the conclusions of isotopic N studies. Soil and plant N transport were studied using 15N while simultaneously measuring net atmospheric NH3 transport using micrometeorological techniques. Simultaneous 15N and micrometeorological studies have shown significant gaseous NH3 losses from soils and plants as well as the potential for significant NH3 absorption. These measurements have shown N transport measured by the two techniques to agree closely when there was no plant activity (during drought). With plant activity, and the associated substitution of 15N in the plant by 14N from atmospheric NH3, NH3 losses measured by 15N were 2 to 6 times larger than net NH3 losses measured by micrometeorological techniques. Although 15N studies are valuable for comparison of treatments, caution must be exercised in the use of isotopes where isotope exchange between the plant and atmosphere has not been taken into consideration.

Flux-Gradient Estimates of Ammonia Emissions from Beef Cattle Feedyard Pens

Concentrated animal feeding operations are major sources of ammonia emitted to the atmosphere. There is a considerable literature on ammonia emissions from poultry and swine, but few studies have investigated large, open lot beef cattle feedyards. We used the micrometeorological flux-gradient method to estimate ammonia emissions during six field campaigns in three seasons. Profiles of ammonia, wind speed and air temperature were measured on towers located within feedyard pens. Atmospheric ammonia concentration was measured using either acid gas washing or chemiluminescence. Mean daily ammonia flux in summer averaged 72 µg m-2 s-1, and in winter, 39 µg m-2 s-1. Springtime fluxes were highly variable and averaged 79 µg m-2 s-1; high springtime fluxes were attributed to greater ammonium concentration in manure and high wind speeds. Ammonia-N emisson rate averaged 3930 and 2150 kg d-1 in summer and winter, respectively, which was 45% and 27% of fed N. Assuming that the mean of summer and winter emission rates represented a mean annual emission, ammonia-N loss was 36% of fed N, and an annual emission factor for feedyard pens based on total yearly per head production was 11.0 kg NH3-N head-1 yr-1. Ammonia emissions increased after N in cattle rations was increased from 13.5% to 14.5%. Ammonia emissions estimated using the flux-gradient method were 22 to 36% less than those derived from an inverse dispersion model. Uncertainty in the Schmidt number and possible violation of the assumption of homogeneous flow could have contributed to the lower flux estimates of the flux-gradient method. Optimizing fed N through practices such as phase feeding could help minimize ammonia emissions. Longer term, more continuous monitoring of ammonia emissions is needed to better define annual variability, emission rates and factors, and facilitate development of process models.

Dinitrogen and methane gas production during the anaerobic/anoxic decomposition of animal manure

Trace-gas emissions from animal feeding operations (AFOs) can contribute to air quality and global change gases. Previous and current estimated gas emissions from AFOs vary widely and many do not consider all forms of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) emissions. Studies have found that as methanogenesis in the lagoons increased, conversion of ammonium (NH4+) to dinitrogen (N2) also increased. The purpose of this research was to measure N2 and CH4 emissions from swine AFOs in three locations of the U.S. and to evaluate the possible universal relationship between lagoon methanogenesis and the conversion of NH4+ to N2 gas. This relationship was tested by measuring N2 and CH4 emissions in two climates at 22 different farms. Methanogenesis was correlated with NH4+-to-N2 conversion by a near-constant N2 to CH4 emissions ratio of 0.20, regardless of C loading and climatic effects. The process is shown to be thermodynamically favored when there is competition between NH4+ oxidizing reactions. Under methanogenic conditions (redox potentials of methanogenesis) N2 production is favorable and nitrification/denitrification is not. Thus, N2 production is stimulated in methanogenic conditions. Evaluation of NH3 gas emissions from AFOs must consider other N emissions than NH3. Finally, a statistical model was developed to estimate methane and N2 emissions (kg gas ha−1) given feed input per lagoon surface area (kg feed ha−1) and local air temperature. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms involved in manure processing and isolate the favorable mechanisms into engineering improved manure processing.

Effects on Carbon and Nitrogen Emissions due to Swine Manure Removal for Biofuel Production

Methane (CH) and ammonia (NH) are emitted from swine-manure processing lagoons, contributing to global climate change and reducing air quality. Manure diverted to biofuel production is proposed as a means to reduce CH emissions. At a swine confined animal feeding operation in the U.S. Central Great Basin, animal manure was diverted from 12 farms to a biofuel facility and converted to methanol. Ammonia emissions were determined using the De Visscher Model from measured data of dissolved lagoon ammoniacal N concentrations, pH, temperature, and wind speed at the lagoon sites. Other lagoon gas emissions were measured with subsurface gas collection devices and gas chromatography analysis. During 2 yr of study, CO and CH emissions from the primary lagoons decreased 11 and 12%, respectfully, as a result of the biofuel process, compared with concurrently measured control lagoon emissions. Ammonia emissions increased 47% compared with control lagoons. The reduction of CH and increase in NH emissions agrees with a short-term study measured at this location by Lagrangian inverse dispersion analysis. The increase in NH emissions was primarily due to an increase in lagoon solution pH attributable to decreased methanogenesis. Also observed due to biofuel production was a 20% decrease in conversion of total ammoniacal N to N, a secondary process for the removal of N in anaerobic waste lagoons. The increase in NH emissions can be partially attributed to the decrease in N production by a proposed NH conversion to N mechanism. This mechanism predicts that a decrease in NH conversion to N increases ammoniacal N pH. Both effects increase NH emissions. It is unknown whether the decrease in NH conversion to N is a direct or physical result of the decrease in methanogenesis. Procedures and practices intended to reduce emissions of one pollutant can have an unintended consequence on the emissions of another pollutant.

Comparison of Broiler House Emissions Using Two Concurrent Techniques

This paper compares gas emissions from mechanically-ventilated houses as measured by two techniques: air mass-balance and inverse-dispersion analysis. Ammonia emissions were measured concurrently from a poultry farm during a 45-day flock cycle. Total flock emissions calculated by the inverse-dispersion technique was 75% of that determined by the air mass-balance measurements. The difference was not uniform over the flock cycle, with good agreement during the first 28 days (2%), but poorer thereafter (35%). The divergence between the two techniques corresponded to an increase in the house ventilation rate.