Global Warming and Acidification Potential Assessment of a Collective Manure Management System for Bioenergy Production and Nitrogen Removal in Northern Italy

Abstract

Collective manure processing facilities to reduce nutrient loads and produce renewable energy are often proposed as feasible solutions in intensive livestock production areas. However, the transferring of effluents from farms to the treatment plant and back to farms, as well as the treatment operations themselves, must be carefully evaluated to assure the environmental sustainability of the solution. This study evaluated the global warming potential (GWP) and acidification potential (AP) of a collective treatment plant for bioenergy production and nitrogen removal as an alternative strategy to conventional on-farm manure management systems. Two manure management scenarios were compared: manure management on individual farms and management by a collective treatment plant. Data were collected at a collective processing plant and at the individual farms of the consortium to estimate emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, NOx, NH3 and SO2. The plant receives manure from 21 livestock production units, treating 660 tonnes day−1 of manure. The GWP and AP indicators were calculated to evaluate the potential impact of the two management solutions. The collective solution reduced both GWP (−52%) and AP (−43%) compared to manure management separately by each farm. Further improvement might be obtained in both indicators by introducing mitigation techniques in farm manure storage and manure application to soil.

Improvements to dairy farms for environmental sustainability in Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano production systems

“…Additionally, even if not much attention was paid on this issue in this study, improved techniques for storing and spreading on field slurry and manure should be considered. This permits to reduce NH 3 emissions to air (Provolo et al 2018) as well as NO 3 and PO 4 leaching and runoff, which affect particulate matter formation, acidification and eutrophication impact categories. Positive effects on the same categories can be achieved improving crops production, especially that of alfalfa, which is widely cultivated (i.e.…”

Relating Lying Behavior With Climate, Body Condition Score, and Milk Production in Dairy Cows

“…This can be connected with the topic of sustainable milk production, including the aspects related to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. According to this, environmental sustainability involves producing milk with an efficient balance between inputs used and outputs produced, as well as introducing inputs that have less impact on the environment with regard to categories such as acidification, eutrophication, and land use (35)(36)(37), that use renewable resources (38,39), and that valorize at best the manure and slurry produced (40)(41)(42). Similarly, economic sustainability involves producing milk with the efficient use of inputs in such a way that the outputs permit achieving an economic profit.…”

Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a Collective Integrated Treatment System for Energy Recovery and Nutrient Removal from Livestock Manure

“…This applies also to the solid fraction as, although it has a higher concentration of heavy metals, it is applied to the soil at a lower dose. Atmospheric emissions of CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O, NO x , NH 3 , and SO 2 were calculated separately for each stage of the slurry management, both with and without considering the treatment plant, to estimate global warming potential (GWP) and acidification potential (AP) in accordance with [27]. In more detail, IPCC Tier 2 and Tier 3 were used for CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O emissions assessment, while EEA Tier 2 for NO X and NH 3 , and EEA Tier 1 for SO 2 emission.…”