Ammonia soil emission

DENMEAD, O.T., SIMPSON, J.R. and FRENEY, J.R. (1977). Direct field measurement of ammonia emission after injection of anhydrous ammonia. Soil Science Society of America Journal 41, 1001-1004. 

The interest in gaseous losses of nitrogen from soil is now extensive and includes the well established community of soil scientists concerned with losses of fertilizer-applied nitrogen by nitrification and denitrification. More recently, interest in ammonia losses from plants and soil has been stimulated by the very large emissions from intensive cattle production in the Netherlands and their... 

Apart from the economic significance of such loss there are potentially adverse effects on the environment arising from acidification of rain and soil. Ammonia may react with hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere to produce NOx contributing to the acidification of rain (4). Wet and dry deposition of NH3/NH4+ inevitably contributes to soil acidification through their subsequent nitrification. This effect can be accentuated in woodland by absorption of aerosols containing NH4+ within the canopy followed by transport to the soil in stem flow (5). In more extreme cases, NH3 emission from feedlots, pig and poultry... 

Ammonia volatilization from fertilizers is a function of the type of fertilizer, soil conditions, meteorological conditions-temperature, wind speed, precipita-tion-and fertilizer management. Table 8.6 shows the global use of nitrogenous fertilizers and the corresponding NH3 emissions based on empirical emission factors for different fertilizer types in temperate and tropical conditions (Bouwman... 

Although NH3 is not one of the greenhouse gases, NHs-emissions cause negative environmental effects through soil acidification and uncontrolled nitrogen re-circulation. The latter is due to ammonia losses from organic and mineral fertilisers and re-import from the atmosphere to soil by precipitation. 

Nitrous oxide contributes severely to global warming and the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere (Crutzen 1981, Bouwman 1996). Almost 90% of the global atmospheric N2O is formed during the microbial transformation of nitrate (NO ) and ammonia (NH ) in soils and water. In OECD countries the agricultural contribution to N2O emissions is estimated at 58% (IPCC 2001). Soils fertilised with inorganic fertilisers and manure stores are seen as the largest sources (Chadwick et al. 1999, Brown ef al. 2002). 

Loubet B, Genermont S, Ferrara R, Bedos C, Decuq C, Personne E, Fanucci O, Durand B, Rana G, Cellier P (2010) An inverse model to estimate ammonia emissions from fields. Eur J Soil Sci 61 793-805... 

Other agricultural applications of foam blankets include prevention of erosion and distribution of soil particulates by wind [589], and reducing ammonia and odour emissions from intensive feed-lot operations, such as in hog-farming operations, by blanketing waste slurries, both in animal houses and spread over fields. Here a cover is needed that will allow passage of fresh wastes, or rain, and that can be easily re-formed, although the foam has to be stable in the presence of ammonia. Applications of foam blankets in areas beyond the agricultural sector are discussed in Sections 9.7 and 10.5. 

Although urea has generally low ecotoxicity to organisms, its well documented indirect and long-term effects to the ecosystems, e.g. eutrophication, groundwater pollution, soil acidification and ammonia emissions to air should be considered. When released to soil, this material will hydrolyze into ammonium in a matter of days to several weeks. This material is not anticipated to bioaccumulate - it has a BCF <100. 

Aneja, V.P., B.P. Malik, Q. Tong, D. Kang, and J.H. Overton, Measurement and Modelling of ammonia emissions at waste treatment lagoon-atmospheric interface. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 1, 177-188, 2001d. 

Roelle, P.A. and V.P. Aneja, Characterization of ammonia emissions from soils in the upper coastal plain. North Carolina, Atmos. Environ., 36, 1087-1097, 2002. 

The application of fertilizer to soil, as ammonia, ammonium compounds, or ammonia precursors (such as urea), is a well documented source of ammonia release to the atmosphere (ApSimon et al. 1987 Beyrouty et al. 1988 Buijsman et al. 1987 Kucey 1988 Olivier et al. 1998 Reynolds and Wolf 1988). The rate of ammonia emission from ground sources, such as freshly fertilized fields and cattle feedlots, is dependent on variables such as the pH, temperature, soil characteristics, rainfall, method of application, wind speed, etc. (Bouwmeester and Vlek 1981 Brunke et al. 1988 Denmead et al. 1982 Hoff et al. 1981 Kucey 1988 Nason et al. 1988 Reynolds and Wolf 1988). Ammonia can volatilize from sewage sludge that has been spread on the surface of the soil (Beauchamp et al. 1978 Ryan and Keeney 1975) as well as from poultry litter (Brinson et al. 1994). In the latter case, composted poultry litter released far less volatile NH3 to the atmosphere (0-0.24% of applied) than did fresh poultry litter (17-23%) (Brinson et al. 1994). In contrast, the crops themselves are often minor sources of atmospheric NH3. Harper and Sharpe (1995) demonstrated almost no net atmospheric NH3 flux in com crops, due to their relatively similar emission and uptake rates of NH3 over the growing season. 

Goethel (1980) Various soils, pH 4-7, covered with weeds, in orchards, pastures, and forests 0-7 Measurements mainly during midday acidic soils gave no emissions, but sometimes were sinks snow cover also absorbed ammonia... 

Bremner, J. M., G. A. Breitenbeck, and A. M. Blackmer (1981). Effect of anhydrous ammonia fertilization on emission of nitrous oxide from soils. J. Environ. Qual. 10, 77-80. 

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