Ammonia Volatilization from Pig Slurries in a Semiarid Agricultural Rainfed Area

Diana E. Jiménez- de-Santiago, Jonatan Ovejero, Montserrat Antúnez and Angela Bosch-Serra
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Diana E. Jiménez- de-Santiago: Department of Chemistry, Physics, Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Avda. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, Spain
Jonatan Ovejero: BETA Technological Centre (UVic-UCC) Futurlab, Can Baumann Ctra de Roda 70, E-08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain
Montserrat Antúnez: Department of Chemistry, Physics, Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Avda. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, Spain

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Slurries are one of the main NH 3 emission sources. Nitrogen losses impact air quality, and they constrain the sustainability of farming activities. In a rainfed Mediterranean agricultural system, the aim was to quantify NH 3 emissions at a time when plants do not yet cover the soil surface and according to fertilization practices. One treatment was slurry from fattening pigs (PSF) applied before cereal sowing and incorporated into the soil; two treatments were PSF or from sows (PSS) applied at the cereal tillering stage (topdressing); and two more treatments received slurries twice, before sowing and as topdressing. Ammonia emissions were quantified with semi-static chambers during 145 h (before sowing) and 576 h (at cereal tillering) after slurry application. Before sowing, tillage after slurry application controlled NH 3 -N emissions, but they accounted for 14% of the total NH 4 -N applied. At tillering, average NH 3 -N emissions also accounted for ca. 14% of total NH 4 -N applied as PSF or PSS, respectively. Slurry dry matter from 84 kg m −3 (PSS) up to 127 kg m −3 (PSF), combined with low soil moisture content (below 30% of water holding capacity) at application time, helped in NH 3 emission control. Slurry applications before sowing did not enhance later NH 3 -N emissions at topdressing.

Keywords: ammonia emission rate; fattening pig slurry; precursor of particulate matter; sow slurry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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