Narasin as a Manure Additive to Reduce Methane Production from Swine Manure

Abstract

Abstract. High levels of methane production from swine operations have been associated with foam accumulation in deep-pit manure storage systems. This foam poses both a safety concern (i.e., flash fires) and operational challenges in managing stored manure. Mitigating methane production is one approach to controlling foam accumulation. In this study, swine manures obtained from three deep-pit storage barns in central Iowa were dosed with narasin to evaluate its inhibitory effects on methane and biogas production. Dose rates ranged from 0 to 3.0 mg narasin kg-1 manure. Overall, methane rates were reduced by 9% for each mg of narasin added per kg of manure, and this reduction was effective for up to 25 days. However, the inhibitory effect weakened with time such that no statistical difference in cumulative methane production between samples dosed with narasin and undosed controls could be detected after 120 days of incubation. In addition to methane rates, narasin addition reduced the degradation of total and volatile solids in the manure by 1.9% and 2.6%, respectively, for each mg of narasin added per kg of manure. Additional study treatments included sugar (10 g kg-1 manure) with and without narasin (1.5 mg narasin kg-1 manure). Results from this treatment showed that methane production was initially increased by the sugar addition, but the effect lasted less than six days, at which point cumulative methane production was similar to the control. When treated with both narasin and sugar, the inhibitory effect did not impact gas production during the sugar digestion phase but did reduce methane and biogas production thereafter. The addition of sugar and the rate of narasin addition caused changes to the microbial community as compared to the control. Overall, the results indicated that narasin can be an effective additive for reducing methane emission from swine manure, but further study is needed to recommend dosing frequency and to evaluate how continuous addition of manure impacts narasin effectiveness. Keywords: Biogas, Manure management, Manure treatment, Methane, Narasin, Swine manure, Swine production.