Ammonia Emissions from Swine Waste Lagoons in the Utah Great Basin

Harper, Lowry A.; Weaver, Kim H.; Dotson, Richard A.

doi:10.2134/jeq2004.0288

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In 2004, a biofuel treatment system was constructed at an existing facility in the semiarid U.S. Central Great Basin. The emissions from this farm system had previously been measured during 2000–2001 (Harper et al, 2006), so this was an ideal location to compare the effects of treatment for conversion of manure to biofuels (on gas emissions) with the previously measured gas emissions. In addition to this study, a concurrent short‐term study was conducted onsite using different measurement technology (Harper et al, 2010).…”

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confidence: 99%

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

2012

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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.

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

2012

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“…Harper et al (2004) found in a highly measured swine production operation that about 5% of the N going into the operation as feed left the lagoon as volatile NH 3 and another 1% from field application of waste effluent. Much of the N (about 43% of input feed) that entered into lagoons was found to be denitrified to N 2 (Harper and Sharpe, 1998; Harper et al, 2000, 2004) by microbial and/or chemical (Van Cleemput, 1998) denitrification. Another source of NH 3 emissions that has not been comprehensively measured is emissions from animal production houses.…”

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Ammonia Emissions from Swine Houses in the Southeastern United States

Harper¹,

Sharpe²,

Simmons³

2004

J of Env Quality

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Ammonia (NH3) from confined animal feeding operations is emitted from several sources including lagoons, field applications, and houses. This paper presents studies that were conducted to evaluate NH3 emissions from swine finisher and sow animal houses in the southeastern USA. Management and climate variables including animal weight, feed consumption, housing gutter water temperature, total time fans operated per day, house air temperature, house ambient NH3 concentration, and animal numbers were measured to determine their individual and combined effect on NH3 emissions. Ammonia emissions varied on daily and seasonal bases with higher emissions during warmer periods. For finishers, the summertime housing emissions on a per-animal basis were 2.4 times higher than wintertime (7.0 vs. 3.3 g NH3 animal(-1) d(-1)) or 3.2 times higher when compared on an animal unit (AU) basis (1 AU = 500 kg) because of climate and animal size differences between measurement periods. For summertime, the emission factor for the finishing pigs was 7.8 times higher than for sows on an animal basis and 25.6 times higher on an AU basis. Simple models were developed for housing emissions based on (i) all measured factors that were independent of each other and (ii) on three commonly measured management factors. The two models explained 97 and 64%, respectively, of variations in emissions. Ammonia emissions were found to be somewhat less than other studies on the same type housing due to more representative housing concentration measurements and calibration of exhaust fans; thus, emission factors for these type houses will be less than previously thought.

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“…, nitrate (NO 3 -), nitrite (NO 2 -), and pH (for a description of analysis procedures see Harper et al 2000Harper et al , 2006. All lagoons were sampled similarly on a monthly basis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From a systems' analysis approach using the USEPA National Emissions Inventory (USEPA, 2004), the addition of all NH 3 emissions' components, such as from housing (22 %), lagoons (43 %), field application of manure (23 %), N leaving as animal protein (30 %, from host data), suggest that more than 100 % of the N entering the farm system is leaving the farm as NH 3 volatilization plus animal product. Recent studies in North Carolina (NC) (Harper et al 2004b), the Georgia Coastal Plains (GA) (Harper and Sharpe 1998;Harper et al 2000), and the Central Great Basin (CGB) (Harper et al 2010;Weaver et al 2012) regions have shown that swine lagoons emit significantly less NH 3 than previously and currently thought. Much of the N estimated as NH 3 gas emissions has been found to be converted to dinitrogen gas (N 2 ) (Harper et al 2000(Harper et al , 2004bWeaver et al 2012), representing an even larger discrepancy for the N balance of farm systems suggested by the USEPA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of studies using dynamic chamber measurements (Aneja et al 2000;Blunden and Aneja 2008) have led to higher emission estimates than found by micrometeorological measurements (Harper and Sharpe 1998;Harper et al 2000Harper et al , 2004bHarper et al , 2010. Doorn et al (2002b) pointed out that studies with dynamic chambers led to emission factors 2.3 times higher than studies with micrometeorological techniques, while others (Shah et al 2006;Rochette et al 1992;Harper 2005;Harper et al 2010; stated that chamber techniques are not even suitable for developing emission factors as they create conditions at the water surface that overestimate NH 3 emissions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Harper¹,

Weaver

Visscher³

2014

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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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 (NH 4 ? ) to dinitrogen (N 2 ) also increased. The purpose of this research was to measure N 2 and CH 4 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 NH 4 ? to N 2 gas. This relationship was tested by measuring N 2 and CH 4 emissions in two climates at 22 different farms. Methanogenesis was correlated with NH 4 ? -to-N 2 conversion by a nearconstant N 2 to CH 4 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 NH 4? oxidizing reactions. Under methanogenic conditions (redox potentials of methanogenesis) N 2 production is favorable and nitrification/denitrification is not. Thus, N 2 production is stimulated in methanogenic conditions. Evaluation of NH 3 gas emissions from AFOs must consider other N emissions than NH 3 . Finally, a statistical model was developed to estimate methane and N 2 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.

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Ammonia Emissions from Swine Waste Lagoons in the Utah Great Basin

Cited by 15 publications

References 11 publications

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

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

Ammonia Emissions from Swine Houses in the Southeastern United States

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

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