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The description of "Composting of solid livestock manure or fibre fractions of liquid livestock manure" has been updated with additional literature references. Composting means a massive loss of 30-63% of carbon (C) in the form of carbon dioxide and methane greenhouse gases, a massive loss of nitrogen (N) of 37-60% via leaching and runoff and emissions of ammonia and laughing gas, and massive losses of phosphorus (P) of 23-39% via runoff and leaching. The fertilising value of compost is low and results in poor crop yields. The cost of composting is high. On the positive side is that the resulting material is less voluminous to transport and is a stable products being free of pathogens and seeds.
Lamkaddam et al. (2021) found that the Active NS product gave a reduction of ammonia emission (ranging from 17.6% to 38.3%), systematically obtained at mid fattening cycle, where the concentration of Active NS in the slurry was between 40 and 45 g m−3. The results were obtained in a one year full scale study comprising two naturally ventilated identical houses for fatteners, each wiht 18 pens. The retention of ammonium into Active NS structure caused an increase of total nitrogen in the slurry of 19.6% compared to the control barn. Christiansen (2016), found in a one month field study similar ammonia emission reduction effect, and meaured in addition 54% lower odour in the stable where Active NS was used. Earlier, AgroTech (2008) did not find either ammonia emission reduction, odour reduction or change of the homogenity of the slurry when testing addition of Siolit, which is a silicon-containing rock mineral derived from volcanic rocks (zeolite). This sugests differences between ammonia emission and odour reduction effects of various commercial IEbA's. Read more about IEbA and Active NS under ATLAS of technologies - Additives and pre/1st treatments here - https://www.agrotechnologyatlas.eu/techdescs?techgroup=500.
The ALFAM2 project has developed a model for estimation of ammonia volatilisation during field spreading slurry and other liquid manures. The model is interactive and calculates the ammonia losses on basis of a set of pre-conditions, for instance the slurry type and the spreading technology.
The model, in the form of an EXCEL file is accessible from the AgroTechnologyATLAS.
AgroTechnologyATLAS is for sharing validated information, data and tools about technologies for reducing the climate impact and environmental load of farming, including the organic material, livestock manure and biomass it is handling. New information, material and data about already described or new technologies or biomass is welcomed. Contact us if you wish to become content editor.
Different studies have clarified that slurry acidification has an impact on nitrification inhibition. A significant effect is seen in soils with a low buffer capacity, where acidified slurry in some cases has performed better than some NI as DCD. More information is provided under the relevant technology descriptions for slurry acidification - Other housing Systems (https://www.agrotechnologyatlas.eu/techdescs?techgroup=300), Storage Systems (https://www.agrotechnologyatlas.eu/techdescs?techgroup=900), and Spreading and Outdoor Systems (https://www.agrotechnologyatlas.eu/techdescs?techgroup=1000)
VERA, the collaboration between Denmark, The Netherlands, Flanders and Germany for testing and verifying environmental technologies within the agricultural sector, has issued a Verification Statement for a Heat Exchanger for broiler production with 28% ammonia emmission reduction effect. The verified Heat Exchanger is Agro Clima unit (ACU) Clima+ 200, type 2.5 from Rokkedal Energy. No effect was found on odour emissions. Find more about the technology under Other Housing Systems - http://agrotechnologyatlas.eu/techdescs?techgroup=300.

Baltic Compact has issued a policy brief that through calculation of environmental services from biogas production, based on examples of using maize silage or cattle slurry as substrate, clearly shows, that biogas on basis of maize silage deteriorate nature and environment, while the opposite is the case if biogas is produced on basis of a waste material like cattle slurry.

You can download the policy brief here.

Download the 11th newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental TECHNOLOGIES for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Regionhere. The newsletter features for instance results of monitoring four drains at Hofmansgave during the winter 2012/13.
The 10th newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental TECHNOLOGIES for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here. Read for instance abut the new Baltic Compact project and about a unique Swedish certification system for digestate.
The 9th newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental TECHNOLOGIES for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here. Read for instance a summary from the recent workshop about ’Qualitative and quantitative assessment of livestock manure: methods for efficient management and enforcement’.

AgroTechnologyATLAS and VERA Verification of environmental technologies for agricultural production - has initiated a collaboration to disseminate knowledge about agro-environmental technologies at an international level.

Peter Engel, head of the VERA secretariat says: The collaboration with AgroTechnologyATLAS is a good opportunity for the manufacturers of environmental technologies with a VERA Verification Statement to expose their technologies also to markets outside the VERA collaboration. Further it will help farmers and environmental authorities to get access to information about an even wider range of environmental technologies with a documented environmental efficiency.

VERA is collaboration between the national Danish, German and Dutch environmental and agricultural authorities. A VERA Verification Statement granted in one of these countries will also be recognized in the additional countries. A VERA Verification Statement is granted on the basis of a completed VERA test. The VERA tests are performed according to one of the five VERA test protocols for environmental efficient technologies for agricultural production.

VERA is planned to expand in order to comprise new types of technologies and to include more countries. The collaboration with AgroTechnologyATLAS will be a step in this direction.

The eight newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental TECHNOLOGIES for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here. The newsletter is mainly dedicated to present the newly established cooperation with VERA.
The seventh newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental technologies for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here. Read for instance in the newsletter about Swedish research results, which found that fields with controlled drainage have around 80% smaller loss of water, N and P.
The sixth newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental technologies for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here. The newsletter contains interesting articles, notes, and event notifications. The top story of this issue is a rediscovered, unique sub-surface, non-electric, on-off SCIEN drainage technology, that was developed in the former East Germany, but due to the collapse of the Soviet Union never taken into use. The technology will now be implemented on pilot farms in the frames of the BalticCOMPASS project, and evalauated for its feasibility for further dissemination.
The fifth newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental technologies for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here.
The fourth newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental technologies for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here.
The third newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental technologies for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here.
The second newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental technologies for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here.
The first newsletter about Innovative, agro-environmental technologies for sustainable food production in the Baltic Sea Region is now available - click here.


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