Mitigating Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from Beef Cattle Feedlot Production: A System Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Beef cattle production systems are the largest contributors of greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia (NH) emissions in the livestock industry. Here, we present the first meta-analysis and integrated assessment of gaseous emissions and mitigation potentials for a typical beef cattle feedlot system, including methane (CH), nitrous oxide (NO), and NH losses from enteric fermentation and manure management based on data from 104 studies. A total of 14 integrated emission factors (EF) and the mitigation efficiencies (ME) of 17 available options were provided. The estimated GHG and NH emissions from the baseline feedlot system were 2786 ± 108 kg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO-eq) per animal unit (AU) per year and 49.1 ± 1.5 kg NH AU year, respectively. Enteric CH fermentation and manure on the feedlot contributed 67.5% and 80.8% of the total system GHG and NH emissions, respectively. The highest ME values were found for lipid additives for enteric CH fermentation and urease inhibitor additives (UI) for NH emissions from manure on the feedlot, being -14.9% ( p < 0.05) and -59.5% ( p < 0.001), respectively. The recommended mitigation combinations of a low-crude-protein (CP) diet and a UI additive for manure on the feedlot could reduce the GHG of the system by 4.9% and NH by 50.9%. The results of this study have important implications for developing sustainable beef cattle feedlot systems from the viewpoint of GHG and NH mitigation.

The TRPV3 channel of the bovine rumen: localization and functional characterization of a protein relevant for ruminal ammonia transport

“…However, the most urgent task may be to find strategies to reduce the vast amounts of nitrogen that are excreted by livestock worldwide, leading to human respiratory problems, eutrophication, and climate change [28]. Livestock production represents the largest anthropogenic source of the highly potent climate gas N 2 O [56]. The nitrogen in this compound originates from dietary protein that is broken down to ammonia in the gut.…”

Mitigation of Ammonia Emissions from Cattle Manure Slurry by Tannins and Tannin-Based Polymers

“…Emission of ammonia either from aqueous solution or from liquid manure was monitored in a test chamber, shown in Figure 2. The test setup consisted of a glass box with dimension of 150 × 150 × 70 mm 3 , a petri dish where 1 mL of ammonia-emitting solution was inserted and an ammonia sensor (type MQ-137, Vastmind LLC, Wilmington, NC, USA) sensitive until 500 parts per million (ppm), connected to an Arduino micro controller, which monitored the concentration of free NH 3 (and other volatile gasses) in the test chamber. For the preliminary study on aqueous ammonia solution, 1mL of a 0.1% NH4OH was placed in the test chamber and the emissions were monitored for one hour.…”

“…Roughly 90% of the ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions in Europe are caused by different agricultural systems [1] from which about 41% in the animal sector are emitted by beef cattle [2]. According to Wang et al [3], the estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of beef cattle is around 50 kg NH 3 per animal and year. Once in atmosphere, ammonia evolves to nitrogen oxides (NOx), which seriously contribute to the destabilization of the nitrogen cycle with consequent increase of the temperature of the planet [4].…”

“…Manipulating the animal diet with feed additives such as electron receptors, dietary lipids, ionophores, and bioactive plant compounds to reduce the enteric fermentation. It was also considered to lower the crude protein intake, resulting in an overall reduction of NH 3 evolution [3,11].…”

Characterization of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emissions from Swine Manure Biogas Digestate Storage

“…However, a large amounts of biogas digestate resulting from biogas production is generally stored before its land application, making it an important source of pollutant gases [2][3][4][5]. The significance of emissions of greenhouse gases (i.e., methane-CH 4 and nitrous oxide-N 2 O), ammonia (NH 3 ) and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) from livestock production has been well recognized and studied [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. In comparison, research on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during biogas digestate storage has been meager.…”