7/30/2019 Best Management Practices for Reducing Ammonia Emissions

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Fact Sheet No. Li ve st oc k Se ri es |Management

by S. Lupis, N. Embertson, J. Davis*

What is Ammonia?

Ammonia (NH3) is a chemical compound

composed o one nitrogen (N) and threehydrogen (H) molecules. It is usually

ound in gaseous orm and known or itspungent odor. Agricultural operations

cropping and livestock production canbe potential sources o ammonia, along

with non-agricultural sources such as

synthetic ertilizers (used on lawns, golcourses, and parks), biomass burning, plant

decomposition, native soils, ocean processes,and human waste.

Ammonia is produced on livestockoperations when urea (present in urine) is

broken down by the enzyme urease (presentin eces and soil) to orm ammonia gas andcarbamine acid, which urther decomposes

to release another molecule o ammonia gasand carbon dioxide. When urine mixes with

eces or soil, ammonia is volatilized (lostto the air) within minutes, but the reaction

may continue or several hours dependingon a variety o actors, taking anywhererom a ew hours to hal a day to reach peak

levels. The rate is dependent on the amounto urea and urease available or reaction as

well as meteorological conditions such astemperature and wind speed.

Ammonia Transport

When in gaseous orm and not blownalot, ammonia has a short atmospheric

lietime o only a ew hours and usuallywill deposit near its source (distance variesdepending on climatic conditions) via

wet deposition in rain and snow, or drydeposition. Studies have shown that the

majority o gaseous ammonia gets depositedwithin a hal mile o its source (or example,

Quick Facts

Ammoniaisproducedwhen

urea(presentinurine)comes

intocontactwithanenzyme

(urease,presentinfecesand

soil),catalyzingachemical

reactionthatresultsinthe

formationofammoniagas.

Gaseousammoniaemitted

intotheatmospherecan

depositquicklynearthe

source.Ifammoniaislofted

highabovethesurfaceor

reactswithacidicgases,

itsatmosphericlifetimecan

increaseuptoseveralweeks

andcanbetransportedmore

than600milesfromthe

source.

Ammoniacantransforminto

ammoniumwhenitcomesin

contactwithmoistureandis

akeycomponentofnitrogen

depositionthatcanimpactthe

environment.

*S. Lupis, Colorado State University, Institute for

Livestock and the Environment; N. Embertson, Whatcom

Conservation District, Lynden, WA; J. Davis, Colorado

State University Extension specialist; soil and crop

sciences, Institute for Livestock and the Environment.

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Best Management Practicesfor Reducing Ammonia Emissions

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rom the perimeter o a livestock operation),but some studies have shown trace amounts

measured up to six miles away.Gaseous ammonia can travel urther and

last longer in the atmosphere i it reacts withother chemicals and is transormed into a

particle. Gaseous ammonia can react withother ambient gases and particles, includingnitric and suluric acids (ormed rom NOx

and SOx, respectively), contributed byindustrial and vehicle combustion processes.

These reactions result in the ormationo solid ammoniated particles, such as

ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulate,that contribute to ne particulate matter, orPM2.5, so named because it is particulate

matter that is 2.5 microns in diameter orsmaller. In comparison, a human hair is a

whopping 60 microns in diameter! Due to itssmall diameter and increased atmospheric

lietime (rom several days to weeks), PM2.5may travel nearly 100 times urther than gas

phase ammonia beore settling or alling out

o the air.

Why be Concernedabout Ammonia?

Ammonia gas and particulates can

impact human and animal health and causeenvironmental degradation. I inhaled, the

ne particulate (PM2.5) orms o ammoniapose a risk to human and animal health.

These particles can travel deep into lungtissue and cause a variety o respiratory

ColoradoStateUniversity

Extension.11/10.

www.ext.colostate.edu

7/30/2019 Best Management Practices for Reducing Ammonia Emissions

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ColoradoStateUniversity,U.S.Departmentof

AgricultureandColoradocountiescooperating.

CSUExtensionprogramsareavailabletoallwithout

discrimination.Noendorsementofproductsmentioned

isintendednoriscriticismimpliedofproductsnot

mentioned.

ailments such as bronchitis, asthma,

and coughing.In Colorado, transport and deposition

o ammonia gas and ammoniated particlesinto pristine mountain regions, such asRocky Mountain National Park, has been

documented to result in ecosystem changessuch as soil acidication, plant community

changes (e.g., promoting grasses, sedges,

and weedy plants while choking outnative plants and wildfowers) and watereutrophication (i.e., an increase in aquaticplant production, harmul because it can

lead to a lack o oxygen), which can havecascading eects throughout the entire

ecosystem. In addition to ecosystemchanges, ammonium, in combination with

other pollutants, can contribute to smogormation and decreased visibility.

Increasingly, regulatory and policy

discussions at the ederal and state levelsare ocusing on air quality concerns rom

agricultural sources. In Colorado, concernsabout impacts rom ammonia emissions

prompted the ormation o the RockyMountain National Park Initiative, a multi-stakeholder eort to evaluate and reduce

ammonia impacts to the Park. As part othat eort, a sub-group called the Rocky

Mountain National Park Ag Team hasbeen working with CSU to develop BMPs

with the greatest potential or reducingammonia emissions rom agriculture.

Best ManagementPractices for Reducing

Ammonia Emissions

Production o ammonia is an inevitablepart o livestock production, but ammonia

emissions can be reduced through goodmanagement. Strategies to reduce ammoniaemissions rom livestock production have

ocused primarily on preventing ammoniaormation and volatilization, or downwind

transport o ammonia ater it is volatilized.This act sheet was written to provide

guidance on practices appropriate in avariety o eedlot and dairy settings thathave demonstrated to reduce ammonia

emissions. The goal o this act sheet isto help agricultural producers become

proactive in developing practices that

reduce ammonia emissions, with the hope

that this will allow the livestock industry tobetter adapt to todays uncertain regulatory

climate, as well as demonstrate leadershipon the issues in a way that continues toconserve our natural resources or uture

generations o agriculturalists.

References and

Further Reading

Colorado Department o Public Health and

Environment, Air Pollution ControlDivision, Rocky Mountain National

Park Initiative, http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ap/rmnp.html

N. M. Embertson and J. G. Davis. 2009.

Ecacy o best management practicesor ammonia reduction on eedlots and

dairies. Proceedings, Western Section,American Society o Animal Sciences

60:96-99, www.asas.org/westernsection/

proceedings09.aspFenn, M. E., R. Haeuber, G.S. Tonnesen, J.

S. Baron, S. Grossman-Clarke, D. Hope,D.A. Jae, S. Copeland, L. Geiser, and

H.M. Rueth. 2003. Nitrogen emissions,deposition, and monitoring in the

western United States. BioScience53:404-420.

Issley, S. S, and E. Lang. 2001. Ammoniatoxicity. eMedicine [serial online], www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic846.htm.

Krupa, S. V. 2003. Eects o atmosphericammonia (NH3) on terrestrial

vegetation: a review. Environ. Poll.124:179-221.

Merchant, J. A., J. Kline, K. J. Donham, D. S.Bundy, and C. J. Hodne. 2003. Humanhealth eects. p.121-145. In Iowa

concentrated animal eeding operationair quality study. University o Iowa,

Ames, Iowa, www.public-health.uiowa.edu/ehsrc/caostudy.htm

National Park Service. 2009. RockyMountain Atmospheric Nitrogen andSulur Study, http://nature.nps.gov/

air/Pubs/regionPark.cm. (under ParkSpecic.)

National Park Service. 2010. RockyMountain National Park Air Quality

Factsheet, http://ile.colostate.edu/ammonia_symposium.html