Oxidation of methane from manure storages in soils

Abstract

Dutch methane emissions from manure treatment and storage are estimated to be 115 Gg CH4, which is about 1.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions. A possible option to reduce methane emissions from manure storages is to feed emissions into the soil next to the storage, where it is oxidized by methanotrophic bacteria, comparable to the way methane is oxidized in top-layers of landfills. A feasibility study is performed to evaluate the technical and economic viability of the method. An annual average methane oxidizing capacity of about 2–3 g m−2 h−1 seems to be feasible in sandy or loamy soils, without major modifications. A single manure storage will require a few 100 m2 of soil to abate 70% or more of its methane. The system seems to be economically feasible and cost-effective. Additional investments are less than 5% of the total costs of a manure storage. Costs for emission reduction are € 1 to 4 per Mg CO2-eq. Proof of concept was no part of this feasibility study. The technology described is only expected and not demonstrated to work.