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Additives and methods for the mitigation of methane emission from stored liquid manure

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The storage of liquid manure (slurry) is a major source of methane (CH 4) and thus contributes significantly to the climate impact of agriculture. The necessity to store slurry in barns and storage tanks at different seasons has led to increasing research in the mitigation of CH 4 emissions from the manure management chain. In this review, a holistic view of CH 4 mitigation strategies targeting slurry pits and storage tanks classified based on the mechanism of interaction (physical, chemical, and biological) with slurry and their CH 4 mitigation efficiency is presented. Also, the combination of chemical additives with other methods is discussed. The key methods include slurry cover, solid–liquid separation, acidification, antimicrobial agents, and aeration. Among various methods, acidification to pH 5.5 acts as a benchmark since it achieves a reduction in CH 4 emission in the range of 95–99% and 65–99% from stored pig slurry and cattle slurry, respectively. Other chemical treatments such as antimicrobial agents and oxidants also reduce CH 4 in a wide range depending on efficiency and dosage. Further, the combination of acidification with physical and chemical treatments yields a cumulative or synergistic effect in reducing the CH 4 emission. This review identifies significant factors that influence the efficiency of the additives, which helps to mitigate CH 4 emissions from slurry storage. Based on mitigation efficiency, acidification is a good choice of technology to reduce CH 4 emissions from slurry storages. This technology would fit well with frequent removal of slurry from the barn to the outside storage in cold regions.

Original languageEnglish
JournalBiosystems Engineering
Volume229
Pages (from-to)209-245
Number of pages37
ISSN1537-5110
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2023

    Research areas

  • Acidification, Aeration, Methane emissions, Slurry covers, Slurry storage, Solid–liquid separation

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