Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Flows through the Manure Management Chain in China

Bai, Zhaohai; Ma, Lin; Jin, Shuqin; Ma, Wenqi; Velthof, G.L.; Oenema, O.; Liu, Ling; Chadwick, David R.; Zhang, Fusuo

doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b03348

Cited by 205 publications

(131 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(112 reference statements)

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“…The results of this study show that NH 3 emission and N losses to water are the main N loss pathways of animal production in China (table S16), similar to the results of Ma et al (2010) and Bai et al (2016). Ma et al (2010) estimated the N losses from food production in 2005 at 38.5 MT N yr À1 , which is much higher than the result of this study (27.2 MT N yr À1 ) for the 2000s.…”

Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…This difference is mainly related to the difference in years and the numbers of food items; Ma et al (2010) included ten more plant-derived food items and five more animal-derived food items in their study compared to this study. Bai et al (2016) estimated total N losses from livestock production (including manure excretion, housing and storage) at 14.4 MT N yr À1 in 2010, which is much larger than the result of this study (7.5 MT N yr À1 in the 2000s) (table S16). This difference is related to the fact that our estimate is the average value from 2001-2010, while Bai et al (2016) estimated the N losses for 2010 (which are much higher than those in 2000).…”

Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

“…Bai et al (2016) estimated total N losses from livestock production (including manure excretion, housing and storage) at 14.4 MT N yr À1 in 2010, which is much larger than the result of this study (7.5 MT N yr À1 in the 2000s) (table S16). This difference is related to the fact that our estimate is the average value from 2001-2010, while Bai et al (2016) estimated the N losses for 2010 (which are much higher than those in 2000). Also, Bai et al (2016) included sheep and goats, which are not included in this study.…”

Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

“…This difference is related to the fact that our estimate is the average value from 2001-2010, while Bai et al (2016) estimated the N losses for 2010 (which are much higher than those in 2000). Also, Bai et al (2016) included sheep and goats, which are not included in this study.…”

Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productionmentioning

confidence: 72%

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How China’s nitrogen footprint of food has changed from 1961 to 2010

Guo

Chen

Bai

et al. 2017

Environ. Res. Lett.

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People have increased the amount of reactive nitrogen (Nr) in the environment as a result of food production methods and consumption choices. However, the connection between dietary choices and environmental impacts over time has not yet been studied in China. Here we combine a nitrogen footprint tool, the N-Calculator, with a food chain model, NUFER (NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resources use), to analyze the N footprint of food in China. We use the NUFER model to provide a detailed estimation of the amounts and forms of Nr released to the environment during food production, which is then used to calculate virtual nitrogen factors (VNFs, unit: kg N released/kg N in product) of major food items. The food N footprint consists of the food consumption N footprint and food production N footprint. The average per capita food N footprint increased from 4.7 kg N capita À1 yr À1 in the 1960s to 21 kg N capita À1 yr À1 in the 2000s, and the national food N footprint in China increased from 3.4 metric tons (MT) N yr À1 in the 1960s to 28 MT N yr À1 in the 2000s. The proportion of the food N footprint that is animal-derived increased from 37% to 54% during this period. The food production N footprint accounted for 84% of the national food N footprint in the 2000s, compared to 62% in the 1960s. More Nr has been added to the food production systems to produce enough food for a growing population that is increasing its per-capita food consumption. The increasing VNFs in China indicate that an increasing amount of Nr is being lost per unit of N embedded in food products consumed by humans in the past five decades. National N losses from food production increased from 6 MT N yr À1 in the 1960s to 23 MT N yr À1 in the 2000s. N was lost to the environment in four ways: ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions and dinitrogen (N 2 ) emissions through denitrification (each account for nearly 40%), N losses to water systems (20%), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions (1%). The average per capita food N footprint in China is relatively high compared with those of developed countries in the 2000s. To reduce the food N footprint in China, it is important to both reduce the Nr losses during food production and encourage diets associated with a lower N footprint, such as shifting towards a more plant-based diet.

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Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

Section: Nitrogen Losses Associated With Food Productionmentioning

confidence: 72%

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How China’s nitrogen footprint of food has changed from 1961 to 2010

Guo

Chen

Bai

et al. 2017

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…Nutrient losses from the housing plus storage stages (excluding direct discharge) are 49% (for N) and 12% (for P) of the total losses from the current manure management in China [13] with both CAFOs and TAFOs representing significant sources of point pollution of water courses and emission to air [2,14] . The current level of direct discharge of the liquid fraction of excreta and manures is a matter of concern, e.g., Bai et al [13] estimate that 5.4 Tg$yr -1 N (24%) of excreted N and 1.9 Tg$yr -1 P (41%) of excreted P are directly discharged into watercourses from housing and storage facilities in China. It is estimated that direct discharge of manure accounted for > 65% of nutrients in the northern rivers and for 20%-95% of nutrients in central and southern rivers in 2000 [2] .…”

Section: Housing and Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies to reduce nutrient pollution from manure management in China

Chadwick¹,

Williams²,

Lu³

et al. 2020

Front. Agr. Sci. Eng.

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As the demand for livestock products continues to increase in China, so too does the challenge of managing increasing quantities of manure. Urgent action is needed to control point source (housing, storage and processing) and diffuse (field application) pollution and improve the utilization of manure nutrients and organic matter. Here, we review strategies to improve management at each stage of the manure management chain and at different scales. Many strategies require infrastructure investment, e.g., for containment of all manure fractions. Engineering solutions are needed to develop advanced composting systems with lower environmental footprints and design more efficient nutrient stripping technologies. At the field-scale, there is an urgent need to develop a manure nutrient recommendation system that accounts for the range of manure types, cropping systems, soils and climates throughout China. At the regional scale, coordinated planning is necessary to promote recoupling of livestock and cropping systems, and reduce nutrient accumulation in regions with little available landbank, while minimizing the risk of pollution swapping from one region to another. A range of stakeholders are needed to support the step change and innovation required to improve manure management, reduce reliance on inorganic fertilizers, and generate new business opportunities.

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