PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Ammonia (NH3) is a colourless, pungent-smelling and corrosive gas that is produced by the decay of organic vegetable matter and from the excrement of humans and animals. When released into the atmosphere, ammonia increases the level of air pollution, as it is a precursor of particulate matter (PM). Once deposited in water and soils, it can potentially cause two major types of environmental damage: acidification and eutrophication, both of which can harm sensitive vegetation systems, biodiversity and water quality. The amended Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone requires EU Member States to reduce their NH3 and PM2.5 emissions levels.
Agriculture is responsible for 94% of total ammonia emissions in the EU (Eurostat EU-27, 2010), that is 3 364 kilotonnes NH3/year. Dairy cattle farming accounts for 47% of ammonia emissions by the agriculture sector (Eurostat, 2016). New solutions are therefore necessary to reduce ammonia emissions from agriculture, especially in the dairy sector.
OBJECTIVES
The CMCD project aimed to demonstrate a system to reduce ammonia emissions and to close the nitrogen loop in dairy cattle farming.
Urease, an enzyme present in cow faeces, reacts with urinary urea to form ammonia. In the main dairy countries in the EU, more than 90% of dairy cattle are housed in loose housing barns that allow them to move freely, enabling faeces and urine to mix to emit ammonia. The new system, known as Lely RFX, would separate faeces and urine at source, using robots. The material would be divided into a fibrous fraction and a liquid slurry with the following uses:
- The faeces fibres can be used to make bedding material, while the phosphate-rich liquid slurry will be stored for use as a fertiliser
;and - The urine will be washed into a solution of ammonium sulphate ((NH2)2SO4) or ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) to make two different kinds of fertiliser. Both types reduce ammonia emissions on the field compared to non-processed manure. The remaining urine fraction, rich in potassium and trace elements, can also be used as a fertiliser.
The project would demonstrate the new system in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Denmark, to prove its replicability. It aims to reduce ammonia emissions from the participating barns by over 60%.
CMCD is fully in line with the new National Emission Ceilings Directive, which establishes national reduction commitments for ammonia. By enabling organic waste from dairy cattle to be reused for fertiliser and cattle bedding, the project complies with the objectives of the Waste Framework Directive. CMCD also contributes to the EU 2020 Climate and Energy Package, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cattle farming.
RESULTS
LIFE-CMCD’s objective was to close the mineral cycle in dairy farming. To this end, the project team demonstrated and validated the new Lely RFX system on five dairy livestock farms. This enabled ammonia (NH3) emission reductions amounting to over 24 tonnes at the level of barn management and field fertilisation. Autonomous separation of urine and manure was also achieved.
Project actions have facilitated the beneficiary, Lely Industries NV, in stepping up the preparation for commercialisation of the developed technology in the Netherlands, and the EU.
Project demonstration actions have allowed the testing and official registration of the automated barn emission reduction system. full commercialisation started in 2022 and is ongoing with the product name Lely Sphere, and the CE registration is being processed.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).
Other achieved emission reductions during the demonstration period include 558 tonnes of CO2, from avoidance of fossil-fuelled transport of manure. At the end of 2021, the project achieved a combined total emission reduction of 898.4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Ahead of CE registration and scaling up the commercialisation, the first measured indications of cost reduction at the farm level indicated a €3 500 reduction of cost per unit (barn running costs minus benefits).
