Search the EPA Research Database

Project title

Emissions from Animal-Based Fertilizers and their Impact on the Environment and Human Health

Primary Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

Environmental Protection Agency

Lead Organisation

University College Cork (UCC)

Lead Applicant

n/a

Project Abstract

Animal-based fertilizers, such as manure and slurry, are widely used in agriculture. The spreading of slurry in particular, releases large amounts of odorous chemicals into the atmosphere, which include ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The atmospheric fate and impact of ammonia is well known. However, our knowledge of the VOCs emitted by manure and slurry is very limited, even though these species are expected to be chemically reactive in air and lead to the formation of secondary pollutants that affect air quality and climate. This project aims to fill this knowledge gap by using a specially designed combination of laboratory and field measurements to identify the VOCs at the molecular level, investigate their atmospheric reactivity and assess their potential for secondary pollutant formation. The range of VOCs emitted by manure and slurry samples will first be identified under controlled laboratory conditions. A programme of atmospheric simulation chamber experiments will then be performed to investigate the atmospheric processing of fertilizer emissions and their potential to form secondary organic aerosols. A field measurement campaign will also be conducted on an experimental dairy farm to measure emissions and aerosol formation under real-world conditions during the slurry spreading season. Finally, a second series of simulation chamber experiments will be conducted on specific VOCs identified from laboratory and field measurements as being important in aerosol formation. At each stage of the project, a wide range of state of the art mass spectrometry techniques will be used to provide detailed on-line and off-line chemical analysis of the gases and aerosols. This project is the first of its kind in Ireland. The results will provide vast quantities of unique and valuable data to deliver unprecedented insights into the impact of animal-based fertilizer emissions on air quality and climate.

Grant Approved

�110,000.00

Research Hub

Climate research

Research Theme

Science: Ireland in a changing world

Start Date

01/09/2021

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/08/2025