Ammonia and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Different Types of Livestock and Poultry Manure During Storage

Abstract

HighlightsCarbon and nitrogen gas emissions from manure storage were influenced by manure characteristics.The main GHG contributor for dairy cattle, beef cattle, and broiler manure was methane.The main GHG contributor for laying hen manure was nitrous oxide (N2O).N2O emissions of the five types of manure were comparable with the IPCC recommended value.Abstract. Livestock manure management is an important source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and ammonia (NH3) emissions from agriculture. Large amounts of manure are produced in China, while little research is available on the gas emission characteristics from different manure sources. The GHG and NH3 emissions from pig manure (PM), dairy cattle manure (DCM), beef cattle manure (BCM), layer manure (LM), and broiler manure (BM) during storage were monitored using the dynamic emission chamber method to compare the differences in gas emission characteristics among the five manure types and elucidate the key factors causing the differences. The results indicated that C and N gas emissions from manure storage were influenced by manure characteristics. The total CO2-eq (without CO2) emissions from PM, DCM, BCM, LM, BM were, respectively, 49.98 ±3.53, 1160.4 ±55.22, 692.16 ±42.98, 61.99 ±1.92, and 72.52 ±3.45 g per kg of dry basis manure during 77-day storage. The main GHG contributor for DCM, BCM, and BM was methane (CH4), accounting for 65% to 94%, and the main GHG contributor for LM was nitrous oxide (N2O). For PM, CH4 and N2O contributed equally to the total emissions. The N2O emissions of the five manure types were 0.002 to 0.013 kg N2O-N kg-1 N and were comparable with the IPCC recommended value. Keywords: Ammonia, Animal manure, Emission, Methane, Nitrous oxide.