Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ground Level Area Sources in Dairy and Cattle Feedyard Operations

Abstract

A protocol that consisted of an isolation flux chamber and a portable gas chromatograph was used to directly quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at a dairy and a feedyard operation in the Texas Panhandle. Field sampling campaigns were performed 5 consecutive days only during daylight hours from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm each day. The objective of this research was to quantify and compare GHG emission rates (ERs) from ground level area sources (GLAS) at dairy and cattle feedyard operations during the summer. A total of 74 air samples using flux chamber were collected from the barn (manure lane and bedding area), loafing pen, open lot, settling basin, lagoons, and compost pile within the dairy operation. For the cattle feedyard, a total of 87 air samples were collected from four corner pens of a large feedlot, runoff holding pond, and compost pile. Three primary GHGs (methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide) were measured and quantified from both operations. The aggregate estimated ERs for CH 4 , CO 2 , and N 2 O were 836, 5573, 3.4 g hd(collectively 27.5 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) hd), respectively, at the dairy operation. The aggregate ERs for CH 4 , CO 2 , and N 2 O were 3.8, 1399, 0.68 g hd(1.7 kg CO 2 e hd), respectively, from the feedyard. The estimated USEPA GHG ERs were about 13.2 and 1.16 kg CO 2 e hd, respectively, for dairy and feedyard operations. Aggregate CH 4 , CO 2 and N 2 O ERs at the dairy facility were about 219, 4 and 5 times higher, respectively, than those at the feedyard. OPEN ACCESSAtmosphere 2011, 2 304At the dairy, average CH 4 ERs estimated from the settling basin, primary and secondary lagoons were significantly higher than those from the other GLAS, contributing about 98% of the aggregate CH 4 emission. The runoff holding pond and pen surface of the feedyard contributed about 99% of the aggregate CH 4 emission. Average CO 2 and N 2 O ERs estimated from the pen surface area were significantly higher than those estimated from the compost pile and runoff pond. The pen surface alone contributed about 93% and 84% of the aggregate CO 2 and N 2 O emission, respectively. Abatement and management practices that address GHG emissions from these sources will likely be most effective for reducing facility emissions.

Effects of pen bedding and feeding high crude protein diets on manure composition and greenhouse gas emissions from a feedlot pen surface

“…During September sampling, manure was accumulated on the pen surface and fermentation likely began due to the anaerobic environment of the feedlot pen manure (fresh and accumulated manure) and bedding materials (Saggar et al, 2004). Methane emissions generally vary with manure loading rates, manure microbial activity, and fluctuations in surface temperature (Mukhtar et al, 2008;Borhan et al, 2011). Bedded pen surface temperatures were always lower than those measured from nonbedded pen surfaces, although the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05; Table 5).…”

“…Recently, Borhan et al (2011) conducted GHG emissions measurements at ground-level area source from a dairy and cattle feedlot operation in Texas. They found that pen surfaces had significantly higher CO 2 and N 2 O emissions than the compost pile and runoff pond.…”

“…They found that pen surfaces had significantly higher CO 2 and N 2 O emissions than the compost pile and runoff pond. The feedlot cattle were fed corn silage, steam flaked corn, protein (wet distillers corn and condensed corn distillers), fat, beef finisher (rumensin and tylan), and trace elements (vitamins A and D) (Borhan et al, 2011). In the relatively cooler climate of North Dakota, Rahman et al (2012) The diet was formulated to achieve low-protein (13% CP) and high-protein (17% CP) diets but beef cattle were contained in the same feedlot.…”

“…They also observed that ammonia (NH 3 ) concentrations in the air samples collected from pens fed the high WDGS diets was higher than in the air samples collected from the pens fed the control diet. However, concentrations of the volatile organic contents were similar between the two treatments.Recently, Borhan et al (2011) conducted GHG emissions measurements at ground-level area source from a dairy and cattle feedlot operation in Texas. They found that pen surfaces had significantly higher CO 2 and N 2 O emissions than the compost pile and runoff pond.…”

Good science for improving policy: greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural manures

“…This rate is more than three times higher than the Australian GHG Inventory emission estimate (1.53 kg CO 2 -e/kg liveweight.year). By contrast, Borhan (2011), using flux chambers, reported 0.13 kg CO 2 -e/ kg liveweight.year (as direct N 2 O emissions) from a Texan beef feedlot over summer. The variability between these field measurements may have been due to differences in management practices, environmental conditions and measurement techniques.…”