Nitrous Oxide Production from Soils Amended with Biogas Residues and Cattle Slurry

The amount of residues generated from biogas production has increased dramatically due to the worldwide interest in renewable energy. A common way to handle the residues is to use them as fertilizers in crop production. Application of biogas residues to agricultural soils may be accompanied with environmental risks, such as increased N2O emission. In 24-d laboratory experiments, N2O dynamics and total production were studied in arable soils (sandy, clay, and organic) amended with one of two types of anaerobically digested biogas residues (BR-A and BR-B) generated from urban and agricultural waste and nondigested cattle slurry (CS) applied at rates corresponding to 70 kg NH4+-N ha(-1). Total N2O-N losses from the sandy soil were higher after amendment with BR-B (0.32 g N2O-N m(-2)) than BR-A or CS (0.02 and 0.18 g N2O-N m(-2), respectively). In the clay soil, N2O-N losses were very low for CS (0.02 g N2O-N m(-2)) but higher for BR-A and BR-B (0.25 and 0.15 g N2O-N m(-2), respectively). In the organic soil, CS gave higher total N2O-N losses (0.31 g N2O-N m(-2)) than BR-A or BR-B (0.09 and 0.08 g N2O-N m(-2), respectively). Emission peaks differed considerably between soils, occurring on Day 1 in the organic soil and on Days 11 to 15 in the sand, whereas in the clay the peak varied markedly (Days 1, 6, and 13) depending on residue type. In all treatments, NH4+ concentration decreased with time, and NO3- concentration increased. Potential ammonium oxidation and potential denitrification activity increased significantly in the amended sandy soil but not in the organic soil and only in the clay amended with CS. The results showed that fertilization with BR can increase N2O emissions and that the size is dependent on the total N and organic C content of the slurry and on soil type. In conclusion, the two types of BR and the CS are not interchangeable regarding their effects on N2O production in different soils, and, hence, matching fertilizer type to soil type could reduce N2O emissions. For instance, it could be advisable to avoid fertilization of organic soils with CS containing high amounts or organic C and instead use BR. In clay soil, however, the risk of N2O emissions could be lowered by choosing a CS.