Lignite Improved the Quality of Composted Manure and Mitigated Emissions of Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases during Forced Aeration Composting

Robert Impraim, Anthony Weatherley, Trevor Coates, Deli Chen and Helen Suter
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Robert Impraim: School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Anthony Weatherley: School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Trevor Coates: School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Deli Chen: School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Helen Suter: School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-17

Abstract: Lignite amendment of livestock manure is considered a viable ammonia (NH 3 ) emission mitigation technique. However, its impact on the subsequent composting of the manure has not been well studied. This work compared changes in biochemical parameters (e.g., organic matter loss and nitrogen (N) transformation) and also the emissions of NH 3 and greenhouse gases (GHGs) between lignite-amended and unamended cattle manure during forced aeration composting. Amending manure with lignite did not alter the time to compost stability despite delaying the onset of the thermophilic temperatures. Lignite treatments retained N in the manure by suppressing NH 3 loss by 35–54%, resulting in lignite-amended manure composts having 10–19% more total N than the unamended compost. Relative to manure only, lignites reduced GHG emissions over the composting period: nitrous oxide (N 2 O) (58–72%), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) (12–23%) and methane (CH 4 ) (52–59%). Low levels of CH 4 and N 2 O emissions were observed and this was attributed to the continuous forced aeration system used in the composting. Lignite addition also improved the germination index of the final compost: 90–113% compared to 71% for manure only. These findings suggest that lignite amendment of manure has the potential to improve the quality of the final compost whilst mitigating the environmental release of NH 3 and GHGs.

Keywords: lignite; ammonia emission; nitrogen loss; greenhouse gas emission; manure composting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10528-:d:463071

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