Developing Country-Specific Methane Emission Factors and Carbon Fluxes from Enteric Fermentation in South Korean Dairy Cattle Production

Ridha Ibidhi, Tae-Hoon Kim, Rajaraman Bharanidharan, Hyun-June Lee, Yoo-Kyung Lee, Na-Yeon Kim and Kyoung-Hoon Kim
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Ridha Ibidhi: Department of Eco-Friendly Livestock Science, Institutes of Green Bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do 25354, Korea
Tae-Hoon Kim: Department of International Agricultural Technology, Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do 25354, Korea
Rajaraman Bharanidharan: Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Hyun-June Lee: Department of Eco-Friendly Livestock Science, Institutes of Green Bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do 25354, Korea
Yoo-Kyung Lee: National Institute of Animal Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do 54875, Korea
Na-Yeon Kim: Asia Pacific Ruminant Institute, Icheon, Gyeonggi-do 17385, Korea
Kyoung-Hoon Kim: Department of Eco-Friendly Livestock Science, Institutes of Green Bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do 25354, Korea

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-11

Abstract: Dairy cattle farming contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through methane (CH 4 ) from enteric fermentation. To complement global efforts to mitigate climate change, there is a need for accurate estimations of GHG emissions using country-specific emission factors (EFs). The objective of this study was to develop national EFs for the estimation of CH 4 emissions from enteric fermentation in South Korean dairy cattle. Information on dairy cattle herd characteristics, diet, and management practices specific to South Korean dairy cattle farming was obtained. Enteric CH 4 EFs were estimated according to the 2019 refinement of the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) using the Tier 2 approach. Three animal subcategories were considered according to age: milking cows >2 years, 650 kg body weight (BW); heifers 1–2 years, 473 kg BW; and growing animals <1 year, 167 kg BW. The estimated enteric CH 4 EFs for milking cows, heifers, and growing animals, were 139, 83 and 33 kg/head/year, respectively. Currently, the Republic of Korea adopts the Tier 1 default enteric CH 4 EFs from the North America region for GHG inventory reporting. Compared with the generic Tier 1 default EF of 138 (kg CH 4 /head/year) proposed by the 2019 refinement to the 2006 IPCC guidelines for high-milking cows, our suggested value for milking cows was very similar (139 kg CH 4 /head/year) and different to heifers and growing animals EFs. In addition, enteric CH 4 EFs were strongly correlated with the feed digestibility, level of milk production, and CH 4 conversion rate. The adoption of the newly developed EFs for dairy cattle in the next national GHG inventory would lead to a potential total GHG reduction from the South Korean dairy sector of 97,000 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year (8%). The outcome of this study underscores the importance of obtaining country-specific EFs to estimate national enteric CH 4 emissions, which can further support the assessment of mitigation actions.

Keywords: emission factor; enteric fermentation; greenhouse gas; gross energy; milking cows (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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