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TECHNICAL REPORTS

Waste Management

Nitrogen Losses from Dairy Manure Estimated Through Nitrogen Mass Balance and Chemical Markers

^a Dep. of Dairy and Animal Science, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA 16802
^b Dep. of Animal and Veterinary Science, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844
^c Biological Systems Engineering Dep., Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA 99164
^d U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA 94025

^* Corresponding author (anh13{at}psu.edu).

Received for publication February 13, 2009. Ammonia is an important air and water pollutant, but the spatial variation in its concentrations presents technical difficulties in accurate determination of ammonia emissions from animal feeding operations. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between ammonia volatilization and ¹⁵N of dairy manure and the feasibility of estimating ammonia losses from a dairy facility using chemical markers. In Exp. 1, the N/P ratio in manure decreased by 30% in 14 d as cumulative ammonia losses increased exponentially. Delta ¹⁵N of manure increased throughout the course of the experiment and ¹⁵N of emitted ammonia increased (p < 0.001) quadratically from –31 to –15 . The relationship between cumulative ammonia losses and ¹⁵N of manure was highly significant (p < 0.001; r² = 0.76). In Exp. 2, using a mass balance approach, approximately half of the N excreted by dairy cows (Bos taurus) could not be accounted for in 24 h. Using N/P and N/K ratios in fresh and 24-h manure, an estimated 0.55 and 0.34 (respectively) of the N excreted with feces and urine could not be accounted for. This study demonstrated that chemical markers (P, K) can be successfully used to estimate ammonia losses from cattle manure. The relationship between manure ¹⁵N and cumulative ammonia loss may also be useful for estimating ammonia losses. Although promising, the latter approach needs to be further studied and verified in various experimental conditions and in the field.

Abbreviations: AFO, animal feeding operations • AIA, acid-insoluble ash • DM, dry matter • DTRC, Dairy Research and Teaching Center • TMR, total mixed ration