ASSESSMENT OF AMMONIA EMISSIONS IN CATTLE MANURE TREATMENT

Abstract

The rapid development of livestock farming generates massive amounts of manure, leading to severe environmental issues, particularly ammonia (NH₃) and greenhouse gas emissions. This study evaluates the ecological impact of cattle manure treatment technologies – specifically mechanical separation and pasteurization (heating to 60 °C) – on NH₃ emission dynamics. A laboratory experiment was conducted using the gas mass method with a laser gas analyzer to measure emissions from untreated manure, the liquid fraction, and both unpasteurized and pasteurized solid fractions. Results indicate that separation alters the emission profile: NH₃ evaporation from the unpasteurized solid fraction significantly decreased to 223.03 mg m⁻² h⁻¹, while it increased in the liquid fraction to 761.52 mg m⁻² h⁻¹. Furthermore, pasteurizing the solid fraction increased NH₃ emissions by approximately 1.7 times (to 375.67 mg m⁻² h⁻¹) due to the thermal breakdown of organic structures and reduced gas solubility. While pasteurization effectively mitigates methane emissions during storage, it stimulates rapid nitrogen loss via ammonia volatilization. To preserve fertilizer value and minimize air pollution, thermal treatment should be combined with additional mitigation strategies, such as substrate acidification..