Project title: Effects of enzyme inhibition on environmental impacts of manure processes        

Project description:
My Ph.D project is part of a larger project titled Next Generation Manure Ammonia Reduction Technology (ManUREA Technology). The Ph.D project constitutes a subproject aimed at developing methods for assessing manure processes and their effects on gaseous emissions.

Loss of nitrogen sources, e.g. ammonia, from agricultural systems currently remains a major international societal and environmental challenge. Ammonia emissions arise from intensive livestock production as well as from management of manure as fertilizer. Bacteria present in animal manure hydrolyses urinary urea into ammonia via an enzyme called urease. By treating manure with newly identified urease inhibitors, ammonia emissions from animal manure can potentially be reduced by 70-85% compared to untreated manure. However, the adverse or beneficiary side effects of utilizing urease inhibitors are not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this project, is to assay the environmental effects of urease inhibitors in manure with respect to not only ammonia emissions but also methane production, cycling of sulfur compounds and emissions of volatile organic compounds. Other aims of the project are to optimize the manure treatment with regards to scaling and examine the effect of urease inhibitors on different methanogenic pathways. 

Project period: Aug 2016 to July 2019

Educational background

• 2014-2016 M.Sc Eng Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University
• 2010-2014 B.Sc Eng Bioprocess Technology, Aarhus School of Engineering