scholarly journals Nitrification inhibitors reduce N2O emissions induced by application of biogas digestate to oilseed rape

Author(s):  
Katharina Kesenheimer ◽  
Jürgen Augustin ◽  
Hannes Hegewald ◽  
Sarah Köbke ◽  
Klaus Dittert ◽  
...  

AbstractWinter oilseed rape (WOSR) is the major oil crop cultivated in Europe and the most important feedstock for biodiesel. Up to 90% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from biodiesel production can occur during oilseed rape cultivation. Therefore, mitigation strategies are required and need to focus on direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emission as one of the largest GHG contributors in biodiesel production. Earlier studies show that nitrification inhibitors (NIs) can reduce N2O emissions derived from N-fertilization. Since information on the effect of biogas digestates with or without NIs on N2O emissions from WOSR fields is scarce, the aim of this study was to evaluate their effects on N2O emissions, mineral N dynamics, and oil yield in WOSR production fertilized with digestate. The study was conducted at five sites across Germany over three years resulting in 15 full site-years data sets. Across all sites and years, N2O emission from WOSR fertilized with biogas digestate (180 kg NH4+-N ha−1yr−1) ranged between 0.2 and 3.5 kg N2O–N ha−1 yr−1. Due to the reduction of the nitrate concentrations following digestate application, application of NI significantly reduced annual N2O emission by 36%. Our results demonstrate that NI can be an effective measure for reducing N2O emissions from digestate application, but its effectiveness depends on soil and weather conditions, and ultimately on the site-specific potential for N2O production and release. There was no effect of NI application on grain and oil yield.

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1787-1797 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Jeuffroy ◽  
E. Baranger ◽  
B. Carrouée ◽  
E. de Chezelles ◽  
M. Gosme ◽  
...  

Abstract. Approximately 65% of anthropogenic emissions of N2O, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), originate from soils at a global scale, and particularly after N fertilisation of the main crops in Europe. Thanks to their capacity to fix atmospheric N2 through biological fixation, legumes can reduce N fertilizer use, and possibly N2O emissions. Nevertheless, the decomposition of crop organic matter during the crop cycle and residue decomposition, and possibly the N fixation process itself, could lead to N2O emissions. The objective of this study was to quantify N2O emissions from a dry pea crop (Pisum sativum, harvested at maturity) and from the subsequent crops in comparison with N2O emissions from wheat and oilseed rape crops, fertilized or not, in various rotations. A field experiment was conducted over 4 consecutive years to compare the emissions during the pea crop, in comparison with those during the wheat (fertilized or not) or oilseed rape crops, and after the pea crop, in comparison with other preceding crops. N2O fluxes were measured using static chambers. In spite of low N2O fluxes, mainly due to the site's soil characteristics, fluxes during the crop were significantly lower for pea and unfertilized wheat than for fertilized wheat and oilseed rape. The effect of the preceding crop was not significant, while soil mineral N at harvest was higher after the pea crop. These results should be confirmed over a wider range of soil types. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the absence of N2O emissions linked to the symbiotic N fixation process, and allow us to estimate the decrease in N2O emissions by 20–25% through including one pea crop in a three-year rotation. On a larger scale, this reduction of GHG emissions at field level has to be added to the decrease due to the reduced production and transport of the N fertilizer not applied to the pea crop.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 9289-9314 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Jeuffroy ◽  
E. Baranger ◽  
B. Carrouée ◽  
E. de Chezelles ◽  
M. Gosme ◽  
...  

Abstract. Approximately 65% of anthropogenic emissions of N2O, a potent greenhouse gas, originate from soils at global scale, and particularly after N fertilisation of the main crops in Europe. Thanks to their capacity to fix atmospheric N2 through biological fixation, legumes allow to reduce N fertilizer use, and possibly N2O emission. Nevertheless, the decomposition of crop organic matter during the crop cycle and during the residue decomposition, and possibly the N fixation process itself, could lead to N2O emissions. The objective of this study was to quantify N2O emissions from a dry pea crop (Pisum sativum, harvested at maturity) and from the subsequent crops in comparison with N2O emissions from wheat and oilseed-rape crops, fertilized or not, in various rotations. A field experiment was conducted during 4 consecutive years, aiming at comparing the emissions during the pea crop, in comparison with those during the wheat (fertilized or not) or oilseed rape crops, and after the pea crop, in comparison with other preceding crops. N2O fluxes were measured using static chambers. In spite of low N2O fluxes, mainly linked with the site soil characteristics, fluxes during the crop were significantly lower for pea and unfertilized wheat than for fertilized wheat and oilseed rape. The effect of the preceding crop was not significant, while soil mineral N at harvest was higher after pea. These results, combined with the emission reduction allowed by the production and transport of the N fertiliser not applied on the pea crop, should be confirmed in a larger range of soil types. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the absence of N2O emission linked to the symbiotic N fixation process, and allow us to estimate the decrease of N2O emissions to 20–25% by including one pea crop in a three-year rotation. At a larger scale, this reduction of GHG emissions at field level has to be cumulated with the reduction of GHG emissions linked with the lower level of production and transport of the N fertiliser not applied on the pea crop.


Author(s):  
Katharina Kesenheimer ◽  
Jürgen Augustin ◽  
Hannes Hegewald ◽  
Sarah Köbke ◽  
Klaus Dittert ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. M. de Klein ◽  
R. J. Eckard

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions account for ~10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with most of these emissions (~90%) deriving from agricultural practices. Animal agriculture potentially contributes up to 50% of total agricultural N2O emissions. In intensive animal agriculture, high N2O emission rates generally coincide with anaerobic soil conditions and high soil NO3–, primarily from animal urine patches. This paper provides an overview of animal, feed-based and soil or management abatement technologies for ruminant animal agriculture targeted at reducing the size of the soil NO3– pool or improving soil aeration. Direct measurements of N2O emissions from potential animal and feed-based intervention technologies are scarce. However, studies have shown that they have the potential to reduce urinary N excretion by 3–60% and thus reduce associated N2O emissions. Research on the effect of soil and water management interventions is generally further advanced and N2O reduction potentials of up to 90% have been measured in some instances. Of the currently available technologies, nitrification inhibitors, managing animal diets and fertiliser management show the best potential for reducing emissions in the short-term. However, strategies should always be evaluated in a whole-system context, to ensure that reductions in one part of the system do not stimulate higher emissions elsewhere. Current technologies reviewed here could deliver up to 50% reduction from an animal housing system, but only up to 15% from a grazing-based system. However, given that enteric methane emissions form the majority of emissions from grazing systems, a 15% abatement of N2O is likely to translate to a 2–4% decrease in total GHG emissions at a farm scale. Clearly, further research is needed to develop technologies for improving N cycling and reducing N2O emissions from grazing-based animal production systems.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Herr ◽  
Thomas Mannheim ◽  
Torsten Müller ◽  
Reiner Ruser

Cattle slurry injection (INJ) has shown to be an efficient measure to reduce ammonia (NH3) losses from soils but it might also significantly increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which can dominate the total greenhouse gas (GHG) release in silage maize production (Zea mays L.). Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) are known for their potential to mitigate N2O. Therefore, we tested the effect of NIs added to cattle slurry before INJ on N2O fluxes from a Haplic Luvisol under silage maize in southwest Germany. We determined N2O fluxes at least weekly, with the closed chamber method over two full years. NIs differ in their chemical and physical behavior and we therefore tested a range of commercially available NIs: 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate, 3,4-dimethylpyrazol succinic acid, a mixture of both, nitrapyrin, dicyandiamide, and 1,2,4 triazol and 3-methylpyrazol. Although not significant, INJ treatments with NI showed lower mean annual N2O emissions than the INJ treatment without NI in the 1st year. The emission reduction by NI of 46% in the 2nd year was statistically significant. In both years, we did not find any difference in N2O release, crop yield, or nitrogen removal between the different NI treatments. In the 1st year, which was extraordinary dry and warm, emission factors (EFs) for all INJ treatments were 4 to 8-fold higher than default EF from the IPCC. Even in the 2nd year, only three NI treatments reached EFs within the range provided by the IPCC. Direct N2O accounted for between 81 and 91% of the total GHG emission. Area- and yield-related GHG emission of the broadcast application with subsequent incorporation was in both years in the statistical class with lowest emission. In contrast, INJ with NIs showed similar GHG emissions in only one year, and consequently, incorporation was found to be the optimum management practice for livestock farmers in our study region.


2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 2483-2495 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Guo ◽  
J. Porro ◽  
K. R. Sharma ◽  
Y. Amerlinck ◽  
L. Benedetti ◽  
...  

A benchmark simulation model, which includes a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)-wide model and a rising main sewer model, is proposed for testing mitigation strategies to reduce the system's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The sewer model was run to predict methane emissions, and its output was used as the WWTP model input. An activated sludge model for GHG (ASMG) was used to describe nitrous oxide (N2O) generation and release in activated sludge process. N2O production through both heterotrophic and autotrophic pathways was included. Other GHG emissions were estimated using empirical relationships. Different scenarios were evaluated comparing GHG emissions, effluent quality and energy consumption. Aeration control played a clear role in N2O emissions, through concentrations and distributions of dissolved oxygen (DO) along the length of the bioreactor. The average value of N2O emission under dynamic influent cannot be simulated by a steady-state model subjected to a similar influent quality, stressing the importance of dynamic simulation and control. As the GHG models have yet to be validated, these results carry a degree of uncertainty; however, they fulfilled the objective of this study, i.e. to demonstrate the potential of a dynamic system-wide modelling and benchmarking approach for balancing water quality, operational costs and GHG emissions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Wiedemann ◽  
F. A. Phillips ◽  
T. A. Naylor ◽  
E. J. McGahan ◽  
O. B. Keane ◽  
...  

Greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions are important environmental impacts from meat chicken houses. This study measured ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) in two trials from paired, commercial meat chicken houses using standard (control) and mitigation strategies. In Trial 1, emissions from houses with standard litter depth of 47 mm (LD47) or increased litter depth of 67 mm (LD67) were compared. When standardised to a 42-day-old bird, emissions were 11.9 g NH3/bird, 0.30 g N2O/bird and 0.16 g CH4/bird from the LD47 and 11.7 g NH3/bird, 0.69 g N2O/bird and 0.12 g CH4/bird from the LD67. Emissions per kilogram of manure N were 0.14 and 0.11 for NH3-N, 0.003 and 0.005 N2O-N and CH4 conversion factors were 0.08% and 0.05%. Total direct and indirect GHG emissions reported in carbon dioxide equivalents were found to be higher in LD67 in response to the elevated direct N2O emissions. Trial 2 compared the impact of reduced crude protein (CP19.8) and a standard diet (CP21.3) developed using least-cost ration formulation, on emissions. Emissions per bird for the CP19.8 diet were 7.7 g NH3/bird, 0.39 g N2O/bird and 0.14 g CH4/bird, while emissions from birds fed the CP21.3 diet were 10.6 g NH3/bird, 0.42 g N2O/bird and 0.19 g CH4/bird. Significant differences were observed only in the NH3 results, where emissions were reduced by 27% for the low-CP diet. Because of the low emission levels, total mitigation potential from indirect GHG emissions was relatively small in Trial 2, corresponding to 11 t carbon dioxide equivalents/year per million birds.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-465
Author(s):  
André Carlos Cruz Copetti ◽  
Leandro Souza da Silva ◽  
Gerson Laerson Drescher ◽  
Eduardo Augusto Müller ◽  
Rafael Lago Busanello ◽  
...  

Among the greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide (N2O) is considered important, in view of a global warming potential 296 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2) and its dynamics strongly depend on the availability of C and mineral N in the soil. The understanding of the factors that define emissions is essential to develop mitigation strategies. This study evaluated the dynamics of N2O emissions after the application of different rice straw amounts and nitrate levels in soil solution. Pots containing soil treated with sodium nitrate rates (0, 50 and 100 g kg-1 of NO−3-N) and rice straw levels (0, 5 and 10 Mg ha-1), i.e., nine treatments, were subjected to anaerobic conditions. The results showed that N2O emissions were increased by the addition of greater NO−3 amounts and reduced by large straw quantities applied to the soil. On the 1st day after flooding (DAF), significantly different N2O emissions were observed between the treatments with and without NO−3 addition, when straw had no significant influence on N2O levels. Emissions peaked on the 4th DAF in the treatments with highest NO−3-N addition. At this moment, straw application negatively affected N2O emissions, probably due to NO−3 immobilization. There were also alterations in other soil electrochemical characteristics, e.g., higher straw levels raised the Fe, Mn and dissolved C contents. These results indicate that a lowering of NO−3 concentration in the soil and the increase of straw incorporation can decrease N2O emissions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Sosulski ◽  
Magdalena Szymańska ◽  
Ewa Szara

Abstract This review assesses the adaptability and effectiveness of the basic practices to mitigate the N2O emissions from the arable land in the climate, soil and agricultural conditions of Poland. We have analyzed the decrease in the nitrogen-based fertilization, selection of the fertilizer nitrogen forms, use of biological inhibitors of nitrogen transformation in the soil, control of the acidic soil reaction, reduction in the natural fertilizers use and afforestation of the low productive soils. The challenge evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation practices lies in the inadequacy of the national data on N2O soil emissions in particular agrotechnical conditions. In Poland, circumstances that favor intensive N2O emissions from the arable soils occur uncommonly, as shows the analysis of the literature reporting on the country climate, soil and agricultural conditions alongside the N2O emissions from soils under various cultivation conditions. Consequently, the effectiveness of mitigation practices that relies on an extensification of plant production may be insufficient. It can be assumed that, at the doses of nitrogen fitting the nutritional needs of crops, the soil N2O emissions are low and do not meaningfully differ from the emissions from untreated soils (literature data point to limited N2O emission from arable soils treated with N doses of ≤150-200 kg N·ha-1). The effectiveness of the nitrogen fertilization reduction as an N2O emissions mitigation practice is restricted to intensive farming. A universal registry of the mineral and natural fertilization use could help identify the agricultural holdings with a potential for high N2O emission and foster a targeted application of mitigation practices. It is suggested that normalization and maintenance of the optimum (i.e. close to neutral) soil pH should become a more common practice of N2O emissions mitigation in Poland in view of the extent of arable soils acidification and the literature data that indicate elevated N2O emissions from acid soils. Application of urease and nitrification inhibitors alongside nitrogen fertilization can be considered an effective practice of N2O emissions mitigation. Owing to economic reasons the use of nitrogen fertilizers with such additives is currently limited to non-agricultural segments of plant production. Afforestation of the low productive soils offers an attractive opportunity for mitigation of N2O emissions. Whereas N2O emissions from forest soils are considerably lower compared with those from the arable ones, the literature indicates that no N2O emissions mitigation is attained through a conversion of arable land to agroforestry. Considering the current forest area of Poland (24.9% of the total area) and the plans to increase the afforestation rate (to 33% in 2050) the measurable effects of this mitigation practice will only be seen in a long-term perspective. Besides identifying and excelling the mitigation practices the authors postulate a review of the algorithms employed by the National Centre for Emissions Management (KOBiZE) for the calculation of the GHG emissions. Solutions applied by KOBiZE appear to address mainly the area - or population-related aspects and, to a much lesser degree, the actual N2O production. In this context, the effects of certain N2O emissions mitigation practices might be difficult to be taken into consideration. The application of national statistics of the use of mineral and natural fertilizers to the calculation of the N2O emissions from the arable soils might be questioned given that the N2O emissions are driven by the actual local N dose.


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