Greenhouse gas abatement strategies for animal husbandry
Introduction
Global atmospheric concentrations of the most important greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) have increased significantly within the last 150 years. Stabilisation at today's levels and even reduced concentrations, necessary to reduce climate change and corresponding effects, would require significant reductions in emissions of those gases (IPCC, 2001). These reductions are to be brought about through adoption of mitigation measures from all sectors, e.g. industry, agriculture, energy and households. Agriculture contributes significantly to total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Approximately 20 and 35% of the global GHG emissions originate from agriculture. These figures are 40 and >50% of the anthropogenic emissions of CH4 and N2O, respectively (IPCC, 2001). Most important agriculture related CH4 sources are animals and their excreta (manure), whereas, most of the N2O is produced in the field (manure excreted during grazing, chemical fertilisers), and from animal houses where straw or litter is used (Freibauer and Kaltschmitt, 2001). The Kyoto protocol specifies that each complying country should provide adequate methods and instruments to quantify, monitor and verify GHG emissions and their reductions. In this paper, we present a summarised overview of the range of approaches for reducing emissions of CH4 and N2O from the various sources in the agricultural sector, particularly from livestock systems, with a focus on European farming practices.
Section snippets
Sources and processes
Methane and N2O originate from different cycles. Methane is usually produced following the degradation of carbon (C) components during digestion of feed and manure, whereas, N2O is related to the nitrogen (N) cycle with chemical fertilisers and manures as the most important sources.
Methane
Methane emission per unit of animal product will be reduced by any process that increases the ratio of livestock ‘production’ to ‘maintenance’. Thus faster growth, higher milk yields and shorter dry periods in lactating cows will lower CH4 emissions. Likewise, an increase in the average longevity of dairy cows (i.e. a greater number of lactations per lifetime) relative to the period from birth to first calving (usually 3 years) will reduce CH4 loss per unit of milk yield. Additionally, measures
Interactions with other policies
There are important interactions between mitigation measures for gaseous emissions and nitrate leaching (risk of pollution swapping), so mitigation practices need to be evaluated at the system level (i.e. holistically). Brink et al. (2001) indicated that NH3 abatement will result in a 15% lower emission of N2O, mainly due to adaptations in animal houses and low emission manure application techniques. Also reversed interactions are observed. A move from straw based cattle housing systems to
Conclusions
Agriculture in general, and livestock production in particular, contribute to global warming through emissions of the non-CO2 GHGes CH4 and N2O. Most CH4 is emitted from ruminants (animal + manure), whereas, N2O is mainly emitted from fertilized land.
Methane mitigation options from ruminants focus on increasing production per animal, modifying diet, decreasing numbers of methanogens and methanogen activity and by reducing livestock numbers. Manure related CH4 can be reduced by minimizing
References (53)
- et al.
Comparison of mechanistic rumen models on mathematical formulation of extramicrobial and microbial processes
J. Dairy Sci.
(1997) - et al.
Ammonia abatement and its impact on emissions of nitrous oxide and methane. Part 2. Application for Europe
Atmos. Environ.
(2001) - et al.
An inventory of nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in the UK using the IPCC methodology: emission estimate, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis
Atmos. Environ.
(2001) - et al.
A UK inventory of nitrous oxide emissions from farmed livestock
Atmos. Environ.
(1999) - et al.
Simulation of nutrient digestion, absorption and outflow in the rumen: model description
J. Nutr.
(1992) - et al.
Volatilization of ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitric oxide in deep-litter systems for fattening pigs
J. Agric. Eng. Res.
(1996) - et al.
Ammonia emissions factors for UK agriculture
Atmos. Environ.
(2000) - et al.
Slurry application techniques to reduce ammonia emissions: results of some UK field-scale experiments
Biosyst. Eng.
(2002) - Amon, B., Moitzi, G., Schimpl, M., Kryvoruchko, V., Wagner-alt, C., 2002. Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Ammonia Emissions...
- Bakker, G.C.M., 1996. Interaction Between Carbohydrates and Fat in Pigs. Impact on Energy Evaluation in Feeds. PhD...
Modeling Ruminant Digestion and Metabolism
Modelling production and portal appearance of volatile fatty acids in cows
Prediction of methane production from dairy cows using existing mechanistic models and regression equations
J Anim. Sci.
Reducing emissions by combining slurry covering and acidification
Nitrous oxide: emission from soils during nitrification of fertiliser nitrogen
Science
Manure Management: Treatment Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture
Manure Management: Treatment Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture
Ammonia emissions from contrasting cattle and pig manure management systems
Mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions in spray-irrigated grazed grassland by treating the soil with dicyandiamide, a nitrification inhibitor
Soil Use Manage.
A comparative evaluation of models of whole rumen function
Annales de Zootechnie
Use of a novel nitrification inhibitor to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from 15N labelled dairy slurry injected into the soil
Rapid Commun. Mass Spec.
Impact of different forms of N fertiliser on N2O emissions from intensive grassland
Nutr. Cycling Agroecosyst.
Nitrous oxide emission factors for agricultural soils in Great Britain: the impact of soil water-filled pore space and other controlling variables
Global Change Biol.
Nitrous oxide emissions from fertilized soils: a summary of available data
J. Environ. Qual.
Cited by (257)
Providing indoor and outdoor exercise to dairy cows: Assessment of effluent properties and gas emissions
2024, Biosystems EngineeringDecomposition of agriculture-related non-CO<inf>2</inf> greenhouse gas emissions in Chengdu: 1995–2020
2024, Journal of Cleaner ProductionEffect of diets with different crude protein levels on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from a naturally ventilated dairy housing
2023, Science of the Total EnvironmentEffect of slurry funnels with partial pit ventilation on emissions from pig houses
2023, Biosystems Engineering