Costs of Ammonia Abatement and the Climate Co-Benefits

Abstract

In this chapter we examine techniques for reducing NH 3 emissions from stored manure, including: covers, storage design, and manure processing. Most techniques are for liquid manure stores, whereas there are few methods for solid manures and more research is needed. The cost effectiveness for reducing NH 3 emissions by each technique was estimated using installation and operating cost data from several sources and published data on baseline emissions and emission reductions of the techniques. A key uncertainty in these cost-efficacy estimates is the baseline emission used to calculate the quantity of N conserved. It is therefore important to obtain regional baseline emission factors (consistent with national emission inventories) to ensure accurate cost estimates. Most category 1 and 2 techniques cost less than 10 €/kg of abated NH 3-N. Techniques costing less than 5 €/kg NH 3-N are available for mitigating emissions from every type of manure investigated (cattle slurry, cattle farmyard manure (FYM), pig slurry tanks, pig slurry lagoons, pig FYM, and poultry manure). The most economical strategy was to allow cattle manure tanks to crust. Other highly economical techniques were floating materials, which abated NH 3 for much lower cost than structural covers. The values of co-benefits were estimated for precipitation exclusion, N retention , reduced odour, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Combining these benefits