Reduction Of Nitrous Oxide Emissions Research Articles

Reduction of Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Urine Patches from Grazed Dairy Pastures in New Zealand: A Preliminary Assessment of ORUN® as an Alternative to the Use of Nitrification Inhibitor Dicyandiamide (DCD)

Agriculture plays a significant role in economic development and livelihood and is a key contributor to food security and nutrition. However, global concerns regarding the sustainability of the agricultural sector (mainly environmental damage) is linked to agricultural activities such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of ORUN® (a formulated agricultural chemical mixture) to reduce N2O emissions from urine patches and to improve pasture yield, pasture N uptake, and soil mineral N concentrations. The field trials were conducted during the spring of 2015 on dairy urine patches at Massey University, New Zealand. Treatments consisted of control nil urine, control nil urine + ProGibb®, urine only, urine + ProGibb®, urine + ORUN®, and urine + ORUN PLUS® replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. At 31 days after treatment (DAT), analysis of soil samples in 0–5 cm soil profiles showed that urine + ProGibb® significantly (p = 0.0041) increased the soil nitrate concentration (121.40 kgN/ha) compared with 48.15 kgN/ha from urine only. The urine + ProGib® treatment produced significantly lower herbage N recovery (35% of applied N) compared with the urine only. Throughout the trial period, the urine patches treated with ProGibb® and ORUN® produced significantly higher N2O fluxes compared with urine only and urine + ORUN PLUS®, as well as higher surface soil nitrate and mineral N concentrations.

Nitrous oxide reduction in wastewater treatment plants by the regulation of the internal recirculation flow rate with a fuzzy controller

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions due to anthropogenic causes is one of the world's main challenges to face climate change. Wastewater treatment plants are necessary to improve the quality of wastewater before it is discharged into the receiving environment, but they have the disadvantage of generating nitrous oxide emissions during the biological treatment, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Avoiding partial nitrification by increasing dissolved oxygen is one of the ways to reduce these emissions. However, this article proposes to face a reduction of nitrous oxide emissions by reducing oxygen to minimum levels causing heterotrophic microorganisms to reduce nitrous oxide to dinitrogen. To achieve this objective, the present work proposes a regulation of the internal recirculation flow rate of the biological treatment by means of a fuzzy controller. This regulation is added to a usual control strategy in wastewater treatment plants, which achieves satisfactory results with respect to water quality and operational costs but that generates high nitrous oxide emissions. The Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2 Gas is used as working scenario, which includes the two main nitrous oxide emission pathways: heterotrophic denitrification and ammonia oxidizing bacteria denitrification. The proposed internal recirculation manipulation is shown to achieve nitrous oxide reductions of 26.70 and 30.83 % in different time periods with a slight effluent quality improvement and an operational cost reduction.

Detailed studies on employing fish canning waste as a partial alternative in a research diesel engine: Waste to energy initiation

AbstractThis research aims to utilize the energy available from fish canning waste (FCW) as a partial alternative. The fuel is chemically modified to fish canning waste methyl ester (FCWME) by acid‐catalytic transesterification process and blended with diesel at 10%, 20% and 30% volume. The engine utilized in this study is slightly modified by engaging exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to lower the nitrous oxide (NO) emission of oxygen‐rich fuel blends. Performance tests demonstrated that the FCW/diesel blends show similar patterns to diesel. Higher fuel consumption of 0.01, 0.03 and 0.04 kg/kWh was noted by including FCWME by 10%, 20% and 30% by volume. Power losses of about 1.4%, 1.9% and 2.1% were experienced by blending 10%, 20% and 30% volumes of FCWME with diesel. Conversely, the tailpipe emissions, namely smoke, CO and HC emissions, lowered by 3.7%, 0.017% and 21 ppm, with 117 ppm elevated NO emissions for the FCWME/diesel blends than diesel. The test results revealed that the NO emissions from all test fuels lowered drastically during 10%–30% EGR; 91 ppm reduction in NO emissions was observed at a 30% EGR rate, with a slight increase in other regulated emissions. Considering the encouraging impacts on the environment and improved fuel combustion pattern, FCW biofuel shall be employed as a likely and fractional alternative to diesel fuel.

Effect of changing injection pressure on Mahua oil and biodiesel combustion with CeO2 nanoparticle blend on CI engine performance and emission characteristics

Alternative fuels have sparked a lot of interest as oil deposits have decreased and environmental concerns have grown. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that is being researched as a possible replacement for fossil fuels. In the current investigation, the combustion performance, and emission characteristics of CI(Compression Ignition) engine were examined by changing the fuel injection pressure (180, 200, 220 and 240 bar). The biodiesel (B20) used in this analysis was obtained from Mahua oil at 20% v/v blended with neat diesel (20% Mahua Biodiesel + 80% Diesel). CeO2(Cerium Oxide) nanoparticles were introduced to the B20 fuel at four distinct concentrations are 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm. Performance characteristics such as BTE(Brake Thermal Efficiency) and BSFC(Brake Specific Fuel Consumption) were inferior to diesel, at 240 bar B20 with 25 ppm CeO2 indicated 1.9% increased BTE and 3.8% reduced BSFC compared B20 and 6% lower EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) compared diesel. At 200 bar, fuel samples indicated slightly higher In-Cylinder pressure and lower HRR (Heat release rate) compared to diesel. At 200 bar FIP(Fuel Injection Pressure), HC(Hydro Carbon) and CO(Carbon Monoxide) emissions were reduced significantly compared to diesel. The largest reduction in smoke opacity and NOx(Nitrous Oxide) emissions were observed at 240 bar with 75 ppm dosage, but CO2(Carbon Dioxide) emissions were higher at 220 bar.

Effects of chemical additives and mature compost on reducing nitrogen loss during food waste composting.

This study is aimed at adding different types of mature compost and sulfur powder, as additives into food waste composting to investigate the effect on nitrogen loss and compost maturity. The composting experiment used the in-vessel composting method and was conducted continuously for 15days. High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the bacterial community during composting. Results showed that the secondary fermentation mature compost mixed with sulfur powder group had the most reduction of ammonia emission (56%) and the primary fermentation mature compost amendments were the most effective for nitrous oxide emission reduction (37%). The temperature, pH, and nitrogen forms of transformation of the pile significantly affect the nitrogen loss during composting. Firmicutes helped to promote the rapid warming of the pile, and Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria played an important role in decomposition of organic matter. Thermobifida and Ureibacillus had a main contribution to the rapid degradation of organic matter in the process of composting. The relative abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria was higher, and the relative abundance of predominantly ammonifying and denitrifying bacteria was lower than the control group, with the addition of different additives.

Impact of Nitrification Inhibitors on Vegetable Production Yield, Nitrogen Fertilizer Use Efficiency and Nitrous Oxide Emission Reduction in China: Meta Analysis

Due to the long-term excessive fertilization in the vegetable system in China, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is low, and the environmental problem is serious. Nitrogen fertilizer combined with nitrification inhibitor is an effective strategy to alleviate the loss of active nitrogen and increase vegetable yield. However, systematic research on the above is lacking. Meta-analysis was used to systematically analyze the effects of nitrogen fertilizer combined with nitrification inhibitors[dicyandiamide (DCD), 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyridine (NP)] on the yield, plant nitrogen uptake, nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency, and nitrous oxide emission reduction effects in vegetable production in China. This study further revealed the impacts of different field management measures on their effects. The results showed that the combination of nitrogen fertilizer and nitrification inhibitor could significantly increase vegetable yield (9.2%), plant nitrogen uptake (10.4%), and nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency (11.2%) but reduce nitrous oxide emissions (28.4%). Among the different types of nitrification inhibitors, NP had the highest impact on the yield-increasing effect and the nitrous oxide emission reduction effect, which were 16.1% and 32.0%, respectively, followed by that of DMPP and DCD. Nitrification inhibitors could significantly increase vegetable yield (6.7%-14.7%) and reduce N2O emissions (14.6%-36.8%) in different nitrogen fertilizer rates. In neutral and alkaline vegetable soil, the yield-increasing effect and the reduction effect of nitrous oxide were higher than those in acidic soil. Nitrification inhibitors had significant effects on yield increase and nitrous oxide reduction under the conditions of greenhouse or open-field cultivation, root vegetables, and leafy vegetables. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that soil total nitrogen content and soil pH were the main factors that promoted the increase in vegetable yields and drove nitrous oxide emissions under the application of nitrification inhibitors. In summary, nitrification inhibitors were an important measure to achieve the goal of improving quality and fertilizer use efficiency, while saving fertilizer and reducing emissions in vegetable production. Farmers should choose suitable types of nitrification inhibitors according to soil and field management measures to maximize their effectiveness.

Substituting Inorganic Fertilizers with Organic Amendment Reduced Nitrous Oxide Emissions by Affecting Nitrifiers’ Microbial Community

Excessive inorganic fertilizers are one of the main causes of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Organic fertilizers can not only reduce the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers by increasing soil organic matter but are also safe for the environment. The partial replacement of nitrogen (N) fertilizers with organic fertilizers can potentially reduce N2O emissions. To illuminate the best ratio for the nitrogen replacement of inorganic fertilizer, the present experiment was conducted in dryland areas of central Gansu Province and different portions of inorganic N fertilizers (200 kg ha−1); i.e., 0, 50, 37.5, 25, and 12.5% were replaced with commercial organic fertilizers to test their effects on soil physicochemical properties, the grain yield of maize, N2O emissions, and the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacterial (AOB) communities. Results showed that the maximum N2O emission was obtained by 100% inorganic fertilizers and the lowest was obtained at the control (no fertilizer). Substituting inorganic fertilizers with organic manure not only reduced N2O emissions but also improved soil organic carbon content and soil moisture and typically improves grain yield and biomass. The highest reduction in N2O emissions was recorded by 50% substitution. Furthermore, 37.5% and 12.5% substitutions did not reduce the grain yield and biomass compared to 100% inorganic fertilizer, and a 37.5% substitution performed better in improving soil fertility. Organic fertilizer increased the amoA copy number of AOA but decreased that of AOB. Nitrososphaera (AOA) and Nitrosospira (AOB) were the most dominant ammonia-oxidizing communities. Structural equation modeling indicated that AOB contributes more N2O emissions than AOA and is more sensitive to changes in pH, moisture, and NO3−−N, and the input of organic fertilizers may affect AOB by influencing soil physicochemical traits. In summary, replacing a reasonable proportion (37.5%) of inorganic fertilizers with organic manure improves soil fertility, reduces N2O emissions, and stabilizes production.

Short-Term Effect of Biochar on Soil Organic Carbon Improvement and Nitrous Oxide Emission Reduction According to Different Soil Characteristics in Agricultural Land: A Laboratory Experiment

Biochar application has been considered as a promising solution to address the effects of modern agriculture on climate change. However, there is a lack of research on the biochar application of greenhouse gas emissions based on poor soils in Korean agricultural land. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of biochar application according to different soil characteristics on soil organic carbon (SOC) improvement and greenhouse gas reduction. The incubation experiments were conducted for 49 days and used different feedstock (barley straw and poultry manure) and biochar application rates (0, 5, 10, and 20-ton ha−1) in four soil characteristics (upland, U; greenhouse, G; converted land, C; reclaimed land, R). The results of this study showed that the SOC increased significantly in all soils after biochar application. The increasing SOC rate was the highest in poor soil. Biochar 20-ton ha−1 treatment significantly reduced N2O emissions by 33.2% compared with the control. Barley straw biochar significantly reduced N2O emissions from all soils. Barley straw biochar decreased approximately 74.5% of N2O emissions compared with poultry manure biochar. Poultry manure biochar improved SOC and reduced N2O emissions in poor soil. However, in poultry manure biochar treatment in U and G soil, N2O emissions increased. In conclusion, barley straw biochar application was found to suppress N2O emissions and improve the SOC in all soil characteristics of agricultural land. In addition, the soil carbon storage effect and N2O reduction effect of biochar were the highest in poor soil. Thus, the biochar application can be a potential agricultural practice for improving soil quality and decreasing N2O emissions in domestic agricultural soil.

Reduced Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Drained Temperate Agricultural Peatland After Coverage With Mineral Soil

Peatlands drained for agriculture emit large amounts of nitrous oxide (N2O) and thereby contribute to global warming. In order to counteract soil subsidence and sustain agricultural productivity, mineral soil coverage of drained organic soil is an increasingly used practice. This management option may also influence soil-borne N2O emissions. Understanding the effect of mineral soil coverage on N2O emissions from agricultural peatland is necessary to implement peatland management strategies which not only sustain agricultural productivity but also reduce N2O emissions. In this study, we aimed to quantify the N2O emissions from an agriculturally managed peatland in Switzerland and to evaluate the effect of mineral soil coverage on these emissions. The study was conducted over two years on a grassland on drained nutrient-rich fen in the Swiss Rhine Valley which was divided into two parts, both with identical management. One site was not covered with mineral soil (reference “Ref”), and the other site had a ∼40 cm thick mineral soil cover (coverage “Cov”). The grassland was intensively managed, cut 5–6 times per year, and received c. 230 kg N ha−1 yr−1 of nitrogen fertilizer. N2O emissions were continuously monitored using an automatic time integrating chamber (ATIC) system. During the experimental period, site Ref released 20.5 ± 2.7 kg N ha−1 yr−1 N2O-N, whereas the N2O emission from site Cov was only 2.3 ± 0.4 kg N ha−1 yr−1. Peak N2O emissions were mostly detected following fertilizer application and lasted for 2–3 weeks before returning to the background N2O emissions. At both sites, N2O peaks related to fertilization events contributed more than half of the overall N2O emissions. However, not only the fertilization induced N2O peaks but also background N2O emissions were lower with mineral soil coverage. Our data suggest a strong and continued reduction in N2O emissions with mineral soil cover from the investigated organic soil. Mineral soil coverage, therefore, seems to be a promising N2O mitigation option for intensively used drained organic soils when a sustained use of the drained peatland for intensive agricultural production is foreseen, and potential rewetting and restoration of the peatland are not possible.

Tackling unintended consequences of grazing livestock farming: Multi-scale assessment of co-benefits and trade-offs for water pollution mitigation scenarios

A farm-to-landscape scale modelling framework combining regulating services and life cycle assessment mid-point impacts for air and water was used to explore the co-benefits and trade-offs of alternative management futures for grazing livestock farms. Two intervention scenarios were compared: one using on-farm interventions typically recommended following visual farm audits (visually-based) and the other using mechanistical understanding of nutrient and sediment losses to water (mechanistically-based). At farm scale, reductions in business-as-usual emissions to water of total phosphorus (TP) and sediment, using both the visually-based and mechanistically-based scenarios, were <5%. These limited impacts highlighted the important role of land drains and the lack of relevant on-farm measures in current recommended advisory lists for the soil types in question. The predicted impacts of both scenarios on free draining soils were significantly higher; TP reductions of ∼9% (visually-based) and ∼20% (mechanistically-based) compared with corresponding respective estimates of >20% and >35% for sediment. Key co-benefits at farm scale included reductions in nitrous oxide emissions and improvements in physical soil quality, whereas an increase in ammonia emissions was the principal trade-off. At landscape scale, simulated reductions in business-as-usual losses were <3% for both pollutants for both scenarios. The visually-based and mechanistically-based scenarios narrowed the gaps between current and modern background sediment loads by 6% and 11%, respectively. The latter scenario also improved the reduction of GWP100 relative to business-as-usual by 4%, in comparison to 1% for the former. However, with the predicted increase of ammonia emissions, both eutrophication potential and acidification potential increased (e.g., by 7% and 14% for the mechanistically-based scenario). The discrepancy of on-farm intervention efficacy across spatial scales generated by non-agricultural water pollutant sources is a key challenge for addressing water quality problems at landscape scale.

Diversified Farming Systems Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions and Buffer Irrigation Responses

Diversified Farming Systems Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions and Buffer Irrigation Responses

Diversified Farming Systems Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions and Buffer Irrigation Responses

Diversified Farming Systems Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions and Buffer Irrigation Responses

Influence of shrub willow buffers strategically integrated in an Illinois corn-soybean field on soil health and microbial community composition

Soil serves many important ecological functions and is an integral part of our existence as a society. However, concerns for soil health are growing globally, in part due to the negative impacts of agricultural management on soil resources. The production of perennial bioenergy crops on marginal land in row-crop production systems is one solution that could improve land-use efficiency and address the sustainability of cropland management. Because the relationship between crop management and the environment is complex, more research is needed to evaluate the potential benefits perennial bioenergy crop production has on soil health, as well as other ecosystem services. In this study, shrub willow buffers were strategically integrated into a corn-soybean cropping system with the main objective of reducing nitrate-N leaching from grain crop production while producing biomass for bioenergy. Two buffer systems (defined by landscape positions) were included for comparison, one on marginal land with exposure to nitrate-N leaching from upslope grain (southern plots) and one on fertile soils with less nitrate-N leaching potential (northern plots). Evaluation of soil (chemistry, bulk density, microbial community) and shrub willow vegetation properties (fine roots, leaf litter decomposition, and nutrient uptake dynamics), showed that landscape position plays an important role in (1) the dynamics of soil chemical properties, (2) shrub willow's influence and productivity, and (3) the provision of additional ecosystem services such as reductions in nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate-N leaching. In addition, the combination of crop type and landscape position (N-grain, N-willow, S-grain, and S-willow) influenced the species composition of the soil microbial community, resulting in unique and identifiable communities. These results highlight the potential application of shrub willow buffers for ecosystem service provision and support of ecosystem processes; however, understanding the relationship between the microbial community, crop type, and landscape is important for understanding the sustainability of the design.

Biological iron nitrogen cycle in ecological floating bed: Nitrogen removal improvement and nitrous oxide emission reduction

Ecological floating beds (EFBs) have become a superior method for treating secondary effluent from wastewater treatment plant. However, insufficient electron donor limited its denitrification efficiency. Iron scraps from lathe cutting waste consist of more than 95% iron could be used as electron donors to enhance denitrification. In this study, EFBs with and without iron scraps supplementation (EFB-Fe and EFB, respectively) were conducted to explore the impacts of iron scraps addition on nitrogen removal, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and microbial communities. Results showed the total nitrogen (TN) removal in EFB-Fe improved to 79% while that in EFB was 56%. N2O emission was 0-6.20mgm-2 d-1 (EFB-Fe) and 1.74-15.2mgm-2 d-1 (EFB). Iron scraps could not only improve nitrogen removal efficiency, but also reduce N2O emissions. In addition, high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that adding iron scraps could improve the sum of denitrification related genera, among which Novosphingobium accounted for the highest proportion (6.75% of PFe1, 4.24% of PFe2, 3.18% of PFe3). Iron-oxidizing bacteria and iron-respiring bacteria associated with and nitrate reducing bacteria mainly concentrated on the surface of iron scraps. Principal co-ordinates analysis (PCoA) indicated that iron scraps were the key factor affecting microbial community composition. The mechanism of iron scraps enhanced nitrogen removal was realized by enhanced biological denitrification process. Iron release dynamic from iron scraps was detected in bench-scale experiment and the electron transfer mechanism was that Fe0 transferred electrons directly to NO3--N, and biological iron nitrogen cycle occurred in EFB-Fe without secondary pollution.

Silver Sulfide Nanoparticles Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions by Inhibiting Denitrification in the Earthworm Gut.

The accumulation of Ag2S in agricultural soil via application of Ag-containing sludge potentially affects the functioning of soil microorganisms and earthworms (EWs) due to the strong antimicrobial properties of Ag. This study examined the effects of Ag2S nanoparticles (Ag2S-NPs) on the EW-mediated (Eisenia fetida and Pontoscolex corethrurus) soil N cycle. We used 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction to examine the bacterial community and nitrification/denitrification-related gene abundance. The presence of either EWs or Ag significantly increased denitrification and N2O emissions. However, the addition of Ag2S to EW-inhabited soil reduced N2O emissions by 14-33%. Furthermore, Ag2S caused a low-dose stimulation but a high-dose inhibition to N2O flux from the EW gut itself. Accordingly, an increase in Ag in the EW gut caused a decrease in the relative abundance of denitrifiers in both the soil and the gut, especially for the dominant genus Bacillus. Ag2S also decreased the copy numbers of nitrification gene (nxrB) and denitrification genes (napA, nirS, and nosZ) in EW gut, leading to the observed decrease in N2O emissions. Collectively, applying Ag2S-containing sludge disturbs the denitrification function of the EW gut microbiota and the cycling of N in soil-based systems.

Insight into the mechanisms of biochar addition on pollutant removal enhancement and nitrous oxide emission reduction in subsurface flow constructed wetlands: Microbial community structure, functional genes and enzyme activity

A set of constructed wetlands (CWs) under different biochar addition ratios (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) was established to analyze the pollutant removal performance enhancement and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission reduction from various angles, including microbial community structure, functional genes and enzyme activity. Results revealed that the average removal efficiencies of ammonium (NH4+-N) and total nitrogen (TN) were improved by 2.6%–5.2% and 2.5%–7.0%. Meanwhile, N2O emissions were reduced by 56.0%–67.5% after biochar addition. Increased nitrogen removal efficiency and decreased N2O emissions resulted from the increase of biochar addition ratio. Biochar addition changed the microbial community diversity and similarity. The relative abundance of functional microorganisms such as Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira, Thauera and Pseudomonas, increased due to biochar addition, which promoted the nitrogen cycle and N2O emission reduction. High gene copy number and enzyme activity involved in nitrification and denitrification process were obtained in biochar CWs, moderating N2O emission.

Evaluating the characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled with water in diesel emulsion and hythane gas in a dual-fuel mode

Diesel engines are the major contributor of Nitrous oxide (NOX) and other environmental pollutants. The higher combustion temperature of the diesel engine causes the NOX emissions. Water in Diesel Emulsion (WiDE) is one of the best techniques for controlling NOX emissions. The vaporisation of water at the combustion chamber leads to reduce the peak temperature. The present investigation was carried out at different loads with various compression ratios (CR) of 17, 17.5 and 18. The engine was run with WiDE10 as the primary and hythane10 at a flow rate of 5 liters per minute (lpm) used as the secondary fuel in the dual-fuel engine. In a dual-fuel mode CR18 exhibits the maximum Bthe of 32.39%, it shows 16.85% improvement and a drastical reduction of NOX emissions about 30.5% than the diesel. It also shows 23.78% of reduction of smoke opacity CR18 when compared to that of diesel.

Nitrogen removal enhancement and nitrous oxide emission reduction by activated sludge with pulse aeration

This paper aimed to reveal the dynamic changes of the concentrations of nitrogen transformation intermediates and the emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) of the activated sludge with pulse aeration. The results indicated that the total nitrogen (TN) removal performed better and there were no nitrite and nitrate accumulation in the pulse aerated reactor. Specific oxygen utilization rate (SOUR) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) of the activated sludge with pulse aeration were lower than those with continuous aeration, which was in agreement with the COD removal efficiency. The specific ammonia utilization rate (SAUR) and the specific nitrite utilization rate (SNUR) decreased with time from 0.43 to 0.32mg/(g MLSS·min) and from 0.28 to 0.12mg/(g MLSS·min), respectively. Meanwhile, the nitrate reductase activity (NARA) and the nitrite reductase activity (NIRA) enhanced from 0.93 to 1.67mg/(mL·d) and from 1.19 to 1.62mg/(mL·d), respectively. The advance of NIRA in the denitrification process played a more important role in the non-accumulation of nitrite, which led to less N2O emission by pulse aeration.

Sprinkler Irrigation Is Effective in Reducing Nitrous Oxide Emissions from a Potato Field in an Arid Region: A Two-Year Field Experiment

In arid and semi-arid regions, water-saving irrigation is the primary mode of local agricultural production. Since the chemical fertilizer is the principal source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, we present results from a two-year (2016–2017) field experiment on a potato field to verify the general influence of water-saving irrigation on N2O emissions. A split-plot experiment was established with two irrigation systems and two fertilizer treatments, which give a total of four treatments. Two different irrigation systems were investigated: (i) flood irrigation with nitrogen fertilizer (NF-FI) combined with a control without any fertilizer (C-FI) and (ii) overhead sprinkler irrigation with a nitrogen fertilizer (NF-SI) accompanied with a control without any fertilizer (C-SI). The N2O emissions of the fertilizer treatment were greater than those of the control under each irrigation system. In plots where the fertilizers were applied, using overhead sprinkler irrigation reduced the average cumulative N2O emissions between 40.72% and 59.65% compared with flood irrigation. This was mainly due to the lower amount of water applied and the lower availability of NO3−-N and NH4+-N of soil associated with an overhead sprinkler irrigation. This work shows that the overhead sprinkler irrigation is an effective strategy to use to save water and mitigate emissions of the atmospheric pollutants N2O in comparison to flood irrigation.

Coupling Exergy with the Emission of Greenhouse Gases in Bioenergy: A Case Study Using Biochar

The loss in the quality of energy throughout any process can be assessed by the thermodynamics magnitude related to its entropic performance—the exergy. This indicator has been suggested as an environmental index, as an alternative to life cycle assessment (LCA), which is a classic tool for this purpose. This study assesses the potential of coupling the life cycle approach and exergy in a bioenergy supply chain environmental performance characterization, examining two scenarios in the sugarcane agroindustry. The first one, the reference scenario, is a classical production, and the second includes the returning of a portion of residual biomass from the plant, in the form of biochar, to agricultural soil. The use of biochar engendered an increase in sugarcane productivities and a reduction of nitrous oxide emissions. These changes resulted in scenarios 1 and 2, reducing the exergy destroyed from 390 to 355 MJ/MJ ethanol (9.0%) and decreasing the greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) from 11.8 to 11.0 g CO2-equivalent/MJ ethanol (6.8%). The latter represents an improvement in the use of carbon. A sensitivity analysis showed that the effect of changing productivity was quite significant: The exergy showed a sensitivity of −0.49, and in total emissions, this figure was slightly lower, at −0.41. By changing the emissions of N2O in the soil, the sensitivity of exergy was almost null, and the total emissions were 0.077.