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Effect of Manure Treatment on Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases Emissions Following Surface Application

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Abstract

A 3-year study was conducted to determine the effects of anaerobic digestion (AD), large particle solids, and manure additive (More Than Manure, MTM™) on ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gas (GHG; carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) emissions when raw and treated manure were surface-applied. The presence of large particle solids resulted in greater NH3 emissions, probably, due to reduced infiltration of liquid manure into soil (P < 0.05). Anaerobic digestion did not have a consistent effect on NH3 emission. Manure with greater ammoniacal nitrogen (AN) concentrations had significantly greater NH3 loss after manure application (P < 0.05). Anaerobic digestion of manure also did not have a significant effect on GHG flux (P > 0.05). Raw manure with large particle solids had significantly greater CO2 flux than the other raw manure treatments on the day of manure application (P < 0.05). There was no significant manure treatment effects (P > 0.2) on methane flux over the 3-day period after manure application. The manure additive MTM™ did not have significant effects (P > 0.05) on NH3 and GHG fluxes. The results of this study suggest that solids and AN concentrations in manure are the most important factors affecting NH3 emissions after surface application.

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Abbreviations

AD manure:

Anaerobic digestion (AD), anaerobically digested manure effluent

Non-AD manure:

Raw dairy manure

GHG:

Greenhouse gas

ADWOS:

Anaerobically digested manure effluent with large particle solids removed

ADWOSM:

Anaerobically digested manure effluent with large particle solids removed and MTM™ added

ADWS:

Anaerobically digested manure effluent with large particle solids

NADWOS:

Raw manure with large particle solids removed

NADWOSM:

Raw manure with large particle solids removed and MTM™ added

NADWS:

Raw manure with large particle solids

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by USDA-NRCS CIG project no. 2008-0116-039—Nutrient Capture in an Anaerobic Digester and Specialty Fertilizer Products, Leawood, KS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Sciences, WSU Puyallup, 2606 W Pioneer, Puyallup, WA, 98371, USA

    F. Sun & J. H. Harrison

  2. Department of Biological Systems Engineering, WSU Pullman, L. J. Smith 201, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA

    P. M. Ndegwa

  3. Department of Animal Sciences, WSU Pullman, 126 ASLB, Pullman, WA, 99163, USA

    K. Johnson

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  1. F. Sun
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Correspondence to J. H. Harrison.

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Sun, F., Harrison, J.H., Ndegwa, P.M. et al. Effect of Manure Treatment on Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases Emissions Following Surface Application. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 1923 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-1923-z

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