Methane emissions from cattle manure during short-term storage with and without a plastic cover in different seasons

Abstract

Manure is a primary source of methane (CH4) emissions into the atmosphere. A large proportion of CH4 from manure is emitted during storage, but this varies with storage methods. In this research, we tested whether covering a manure heap with plastic reduces CH4 emission during a short-term composting process. A static chamber method was used to detect the CH4 emission rate and the change of the physicochemical properties of cattle manure which was stored either uncovered (treatment UNCOVERED) or covered with plastic (treatment COVERED) for 30-day periods during the four seasons? The dry matter content of the COVERED treatment was significantly less than the UNCOVERED treatment (P < 0.01), and the C/N ratio of the COVERED treatment significantly greater than the UNCOVERED treatment (P > 0.05) under high temperature. In the UNCOVERED treatment, average daily methane (CH4) emissions were in the order summer > spring > autumn > winter. CH4 emissions were positively correlated with the temperature (R2 = 0.52, P < 0.01). Compared to the UNCOVERED treatment, the daily average CH4 emission rates from COVERED treatment manure were less in the first 19 days of spring, 13 days of summer, 10 days of autumn and 30 days of winter. In summary, covering the manure pile with plastic reduces the evaporation of water during storage; and in winter, long-term covering with plastic film reduces the CH4 emissions during the storage of manure.

Effect of Covering Deep Litter Stockpiles on Methane and Ammonia Emissions Analyzed by an Inverse Dispersion Method

“…There were higher CH 4 emissions from both stockpiles when the deep litter was removed, 7.1 ± 4.7 g m –2 h –1 ( n = 3, day 49) and 5.7 ± 3.6 g m –2 h –1 ( n = 3, day 42) for TC21 and IC21, respectively. On the one hand, uncovering releases more of the internal heat providing better conditions for microorganisms for the degradation of organic matter. , Thus, mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures inside the bulk at 100 cm depth were observed in NC20, PC20, and IC21 (59.4 ± 8.1 °C, see Table ). Covering is expected to reduce the internal heat production of the stored deep litter, reducing the temperature which leads to low methanogen activity .…”