AMMONIA AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM A DAIRY CATTLE BARN WITH A DAILY MANURE COLLECTION SYSTEM

This study quantifies concentrations and emission rates (ER) of ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), during four seasons of one year in north China from a naturally ventilated dab); cattle barn with a daily manure collection system, with each monitoring episode lasting five consecutive days. Gaseous concentrations of background and exhaust air were measured using an infrared photoacoustic multi-gas monitor with a multi-channel sampler About 120 gas concentration measurements were taken for each season. Barn ventilation rate (VR) was determined by CO2 mass balance using literature metabolic rate data for daily cattle. Both gas concentrations and ER showed considerable diurnal and seasonal variations. Annual mean (+/- SD) ER of NH3, CO2, and CH4 for the monitored dairy cattle barn were 75.5 +/- 25.3 g d(-1) cow(-1), 8.9 +/- 0.7 kg d(-1) cow(-1), and 305 +/- 119 g d(-1) cow(-1), respectively Ammonia and greenhouse gas ER from the current study were within the ranges of values reported for dairy cattle.