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Factors Affecting Methane Emission Potential of Swine and Cattle Manures

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  International Symposium on Air Quality and Manure Management for Agriculture Conference Proceedings, 13-16 September 2010, Dallas, Texas  711P0510cd.(doi:10.13031/2013.32633)
Authors:   M Verma, S Godbout, J P Larouche, L Potvin, S P Lemay, A M Chapman, F Pelletier, S K Brar
Keywords:   Anaerobic digestion, biodegradability, beef, dairy, emission factor, greenhouse gas, manure, methane, swine

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Canadian agricultural sector accounted for about 60 Mt or 8% of the national average in 2007. The estimation of methane emission related to manure management systems in Canada is prone to uncertainty owing to lack of reliable methane production potential (B0) values for Canadian conditions. This study was conducted on manure samples from six Canadian animal farms, two each from swine, beef and dairy cattle. The manure samples were investigated in order to determine the factors of conventional farm practices affecting B0 values. The ultimate anaerobic biodegradability was measured as per ISO standards. The factor B0 was calculated using carbon content of the gas in the headspace of the anaerobic digester under optimal reaction conditions described in the ISO standard method. The extent of biodegradation of the manure samples showed no inhibitory effect on methane production by the manure. The effect of antibiotics application in the animal feed on methane production was also considered, however, no significant inhibitory effect could be observed. The concentration of pathogen indicator organism was always below the standard limit of 2,000,000 NPP/g (dry) E.Coli.

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