Greenhouse-gas mitigation potential of agro-industrial by-products in the diet of dairy goats in Spain: a life-cycle perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 646 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Pardo ◽  
I. Martin-Garcia ◽  
A. Arco ◽  
D. R. Yañez-Ruiz ◽  
R. Moral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Dairy Goat ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Dietary Strategies ◽  
By Products

Goat milk production is an important agricultural resource in the Mediterranean basin. Market demands and scarcity of pastures during drought periods has led to farms becoming more intensive and based on imported concentrate feeds. The use of alternative feedstuffs from agro-industry can help decrease dependence on external concentrates, while preventing the environmental issues associated with livestock production and by-product disposal. From a life-cycle assessment perspective, we investigated the change on greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions of replacing a conventional dairy goat diet in southern Spain with two alternative dietary strategies, including tomato waste or olive by-products silages. The effect on enteric methane emissions and milk productivity was assessed through specific feeding trials. Experimental data were integrated within a modelling framework comprising different submodels to describe the farm system and associated production chain. A new model describing carbon and nitrogen losses from solid waste was applied to estimate the emissions associated with the baseline scenarios for food by-product management. The assessment revealed that the two dietary strategies achieve GHG reductions (~12–19% per kg milk). In both cases, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from crop production were partially reduced through the displacement of typical concentrate ingredients. An additional mitigation effect was obtained when including tomato wastes in the diet because it reduced the methane emissions from enteric fermentation. Results suggested that use of agro-industrial residues for feeding is a feasible mitigation option in this case. However, as organic by-products could have alternative uses (bioenergy, soil amendment), with different implications for land use and soil carbon stocks, a more complete overview of both scenarios is recommended. Potential trade-offs from non-GHG categories may play an important role in a decision-making process.

Greenhouse gas emission intensity based on lifetime milk production of dairy animals, as affected by ration-balancing program

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Garg ◽  
P. L. Sherasia ◽  
B. T. Phondba ◽  
H. P. S. Makkar
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Emission Intensity ◽  
Manure Management ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Feed Production ◽  
Co2 Equivalent

Smallholder dairying in India and other developing countries relies on low- and medium-productive animals, and the feeding is mainly based on crop residues and other agro-industrial by-products. The diets are generally nutritionally imbalanced, resulting in productive and reproductive inefficiencies. This also negatively affects the emission intensity (Ei). For the past 3 years, the National Dairy Development Board of India has been implementing large-scale ration-balancing (RB) program in field animals. The effect of feeding balanced rations on Ei was explored. A cradle to farm-gate life-cycle assessment, taking into account the lifespan milk production, was conducted on 163 540 lactating cows and 163 550 buffaloes in northern, southern, eastern and western India. The life-cycle assessment boundary included feed production, enteric fermentation and manure management during various stages of life. On the basis of economic allocation, emissions of methane (CH4) from enteric fermentation, CH4 from manure management, nitrous oxide from manure management and greenhouse gas (GHG), i.e. carbon dioxide (CO2), CH4 and nitrous oxide from feed production, contributed 69.9%, 6.3%, 9.6% and 14.2% in cows, and 71.6%, 7.4%, 12.6% and 8.4% in buffaloes, respectively, to the baseline (before RB) lifetime total GHG emissions. Average Ei based on economic, mass and digestibility allocation for ‘baseline versus after RB’ were 1.6 versus 1.1, 1.8 versus 1.2 and 1.7 versus 1.2 kg CO2-equivalent/kg fat and protein-corrected milk in cows and 2.3 versus 1.5, 2.5 versus 1.6 and 2.4 versus 1.5 kg CO2-equivalent/kg fat and protein-corrected milk in buffaloes, respectively. Feeding-balanced rations significantly improved milk production, but reduced Ei of milk on lifetime basis by 31.2% and 34.7% in cows and buffaloes, respectively. Implementation of RB program has shown considerable potential to reduce GHG emission intensity under smallholding dairy production system of India.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and mitigation options in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 328-342
Author(s):  
M. A Adeyemi ◽  
E. O. Akinfala
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Changement Climatique

Greenhouse gases are becoming devastating on agriculture and environment because of its effect on climate and global warming. The aim of this review is to provide update on livestock greenhouse gases emission and rekindle available mitigation strategies. Recently, global warming and climate change have become one of the most discussed issues globally because of their negative effect on ecosystem worldwide. The livestock sub-sector as a major source of greenhouse gas emission, has been identified to contribute substantially to the recent rise in global warming and climate change. Livestock, most importantly ruminants plays a major role in the emission of methane, one of the potent greenhouse gases. This methane is usually released through enteric fermentation in animals and manure management system, though the latter account for smaller quantity. Estimate of methane emission inventory from livestock in Nigeria showed that 96.15 % of methane produced by livestock was by ruminants with cattle alone accounting for 74.06 %. With this background, strategies to date for reducing methane emissions should centre on ruminant. Efforts to reduce methane emissions from enteric fermentation generally focus on options for improving production efficiency. This has been demonstrated with intensive animal production systems. However, in Nigeria, this system has been successful only for non-ruminants while the extensive and semi extensive systems are being practiced for ruminants. In view of this, options for reducing emissions must be selected to be consistent with country-specific circumstances. Those circumstances should include animal management practices (including cultural traditions), nutrition and economic development priorities.     Les gaz à effet de serre deviennent dévastateurs de l'agriculture et de l'environnement en raison de son effet sur le climat et le réchauffement de la planète. L'objectif de cet examen est de fournir une mise à jour sur les stratégies d'atténuation disponibles des gaz à effet de serre de bétail. Récemment, le réchauffement climatique et le changement climatique sont devenus l'une des questions les plus discutées à l'échelle mondiale en raison de leur effet négatif sur l'écosystème mondial. Le sous-secteur de l'élevage en tant que source majeure d'émissions de gaz à effet de serre, a été identifié pour contribuer de manière substantielle à la hausse récente du réchauffement de la planète et du changement climatique. Le bétail, plus important encore, les ruminants jouent un rôle majeur dans l'émission de méthane, l'un des gaz à effet de serre puissants. Ce méthane est généralement libéré par la fermentation entérique chez les animaux et le système de gestion de fumier, bien que ces derniers représentent une plus petite quantité. L'estimation des stocks d'émissions de méthane provenant du bétail au Nigéria a montré que 96,15% de méthane produites par le bétail étaient par des ruminants avec des bovins à eux-mêmes représentant 74,06%. Avec ce contexte, des stratégies à ce jour pour réduire les émissions de méthane doivent être centrées sur le ruminant. Les efforts visant à réduire les émissions de méthane de la fermentation entérique se concentrent généralement sur les options d'amélioration de l'efficacité de la production. Cela a été démontré avec des systèmes de production d'animaux intensifs. Cependant, au Nigéria, ce système n'a abouti que pour les non-ruminants tandis que les systèmes étendus et semi-étendus sont pratiqués pour les ruminants. Compte tenu de cela, les options de réduction des émissions doivent être sélectionnées pour être cohérentes avec des circonstances spécifiques à chaque pays. Ces circonstances devraient inclure des pratiques de gestion des animaux (y compris des traditions culturelles), des priorités de nutrition et de développement économique

scholarly journals Effect of Manure from Cattle Fed 3-Nitrooxypropanol on Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas Emissions Depends on Soil Type

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Tien L. Weber ◽  
Xiying Hao ◽  
Cole D. Gross ◽  
Karen A. Beauchemin ◽  
Scott X. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Ch4 Emissions ◽  
Gray Luvisol

Cattle production is a large source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Canadian livestock sector. Efforts to reduce CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation have led to modifications of diet composition for livestock, resulting in a corresponding change in manure properties. We studied the effect of applying manure from cattle fed a barley-based diet with and without the methane inhibitor supplement, 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP), on soil GHG emissions. Three soils common to Alberta, Canada, were used: a Black Chernozem, a Dark Brown Chernozem, and a Gray Luvisol. We compared the supplemented (3-NOPM) and non-supplemented manure (BM) amendments to a composted 3-NOPM (3-NOPC) amendment and a control with no manure amendment (CK). In an 84-day laboratory incubation experiment, 3-NOPM had significantly lower cumulative CO2 emissions compared to BM in both the Black Chernozem and Gray Luvisol. The cumulative N2O emissions were lowest for 3-NOPC and CK and highest for 3-NOPM across all soil types. Cumulative CH4 emissions were only affected by soil type, with a net positive flux from the fine-textured Gray Luvisol and Dark Brown Chernozem and a net negative flux from the coarse-textured Black Chernozem. Cumulative anthropogenic GHG emissions (CO2-equivalent) from soil amended with 3-NOPM were significantly higher than those for both BM and CK amendments in the Black Chernozem, while the cumulative anthropogenic GHG emissions from the 3-NOPC treatment were similar to or significantly lower than those for the BM and CK treatments across all soil types. We conclude that soil GHG emissions resulting from the 3-NOPM amendment are dependent on soil type and 3-NOPM could potentially increase soil GHG emissions compared to BM or CK. Although we show that the composting of 3-NOPM prior to soil application can reduce soil GHG emissions, the composting process also releases GHGs, which should also be considered in assessing the life-cycle of manure application. Our results provide a first look at the potential effect of the next stage in the life cycle of 3-NOP on GHG emissions. Further research related to the effect of soil properties, particularly in field studies, is needed to assess the best management practices related to the use of manure from cattle-fed diets supplemented with 3-NOP as a soil amendment.

scholarly journals Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Human Health Trade-Offs of Organic Waste Management Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (15) ◽  
pp. 9200-9209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Nordahl ◽  
Jay P. Devkota ◽  
Jahon Amirebrahimi ◽  
Sarah Josephine Smith ◽  
Hanna M. Breunig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Organic Waste ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Organic Waste Management

scholarly journals Mitigating Ruminant Methane: Exploring the Commercialisation of Technologies for Reducing Livestock Methane Emissions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mitchell Easter
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Methane Mitigation ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Commercial Potential

<p>Climate change is a global issue requiring unified action. Methane gas is a major component of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global warming. This project is exploring the commercial potential of Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) developed technologies designed to mitigate the largest source of agricultural methane emissions. These technologies are methane vaccines and inhibitors targeting emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminant livestock. The two technologies share functional aspects but require different administration and upkeep.  As novel technologies designed for a developing market the commercial potential of PGgRc’s methane vaccines and inhibitors is uncertain. To validate the potential methane mitigation products this project focuses on farmer adoption and interaction with the technologies. Interviews with farmers around New Zealand have been used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of methane vaccines and inhibitors from the perspective of the end user.  A thematic analysis of the transcribed data highlighted various concerns among the participating farmers and provides a map of areas needing further investigation when moving forward with developing the technologies. Of key importance was the value methane vaccines and inhibitors offered the participants. Currently, methane mitigation offers no financial benefits to participants and good feelings about acting against climate change are not substantial enough to mitigate purchase and administration costs.  There is potential that using PGgRc’s methane vaccines and inhibitors could improve livestock productivity, but it is yet to be verified based on current testing and development. Establishing that using the technologies leads to increased live weight gain or milk and wool production could provide profitability benefits that farmers would value. This hinges on any benefits providing substantial enough gains to the farmer to offset the purchase and administration costs.  If no productivity benefits are identified government regulations creating a methane cost or subsidising the technologies could be necessary for methane vaccines and inhibitors to have value within the agricultural sector. Alternatively, if consumer purchasing behaviour shifts in favour of low emissions products the agricultural sector will need to shift production methods to remain competitive in the new market environment.  PGgRc aims to employ a licensing business model using the methane vaccine and inhibitor IP they possess. Partnering with an experienced company would provide PGgRc with the market knowledge and manufacturing capabilities producing their technologies requires. As part of their development strategy they aim to develop their technology to a proof of concept stage before forming any production partnerships.  This project highlights the critical factors for successfully commercialising PGgRc’s technologies. It is designed to guide the continued development of the methane mitigation technologies and help shape PGgRc’s market approach.</p>

Foreign Direct Investment Dependence and the Neglected Greenhouse Gas: A Cross-National Analysis of Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Developing Countries, 1990–2014

2020 ◽  
pp. 073112142093773
Author(s):  
Steven Andrew Mejia
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
National Analysis

Scholars have long inquired the anthropogenic causes of greenhouse gas emissions. The majority of empirical work focuses on carbon dioxide and methane emissions, but limited attention is paid to nitrous oxide emissions. This is a crucial omission as nitrous oxide emissions are an extremely potent greenhouse gas and trigger ozone-depleting reactions upon reaching the atmosphere. Using a fixed effects panel regression of 106 developing countries, I estimate the effect of foreign direct investment dependence on nitrous oxide emissions. I find foreign capital dependency is positively associated with nitrous oxide emissions, supporting a refined ecostructural theory of foreign direct investment dependence. This analysis highlights the need for social scientists to consider the environmental impacts of the transnational organization of production beyond carbon dioxide emissions and methane emissions.

scholarly journals Life cycle thinking in sustainability assessment of bioenergy systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 277 ◽  
pp. 01001
Author(s):  
Shabbir H. Gheewala
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Biofuel Supply Chain

Increasing population and affluence have had a direct influence on increasing the energy demand of nations across the globe. Energy from non-renewable fossil resources has associated emissions of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change, a major challenge facing us today. The governments of many countries have tried to address the twin issues of limited local availability of fossil resources and greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the use of bioenergy. Bioenergy is not automatically sustainable unlike popular belief. Assessing its sustainability using a life cycle thinking approach reveals many caveats, not only regarding greenhouse gas emissions but also other environmental impacts that are often ignored. The environmental assessment of palm oil-based biodiesel shows the trade-offs when considering all the life cycle stages of the biofuel supply chain and also when multiple impact categories are considered. The so-called carbon neutrality becomes questionable and other impacts from agriculture arising due to the use of land and agrochemicals are also seen to be very significant. Ignoring these in policymaking could result in serious unintended consequences. Thus, the importance of life cycle thinking in sustainability assessment is illustrated. This will be critical in addressing national needs while also moving towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Whole-farm systems analysis of Australian dairy farm greenhouse gas emissions

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (11) ◽  
pp. 998 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Christie ◽  
C. J. P. Gourley ◽  
R. P. Rawnsley ◽  
R. J. Eckard ◽  
I. M. Awty
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Animal Waste ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Emissions Intensity

The Australian dairy industry contributes ~1.6% of the nation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, emitting an estimated 9.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per annum. This study examined 41 contrasting Australian dairy farms for their GHG emissions using the Dairy Greenhouse Gas Abatement Strategies calculator, which incorporates Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Australian inventory methodologies, algorithms and emission factors. Sources of GHG emissions included were pre-farm embedded emissions associated with key farm inputs (i.e. grains and concentrates, forages and fertilisers), CO2 emissions from electricity and fuel consumption, methane emissions from enteric fermentation and animal waste management, and nitrous oxide emissions from animal waste management and nitrogen fertilisers. The estimated mean (±s.d.) GHG emissions intensity was 1.04 ± 0.17 kg CO2 equivalents/kg of fat and protein-corrected milk (kg CO2e/kg FPCM). Enteric methane emissions were found to be approximately half of total farm emissions. Linear regression analysis showed that 95% of the variation in total farm GHG emissions could be explained by annual milk production. While the results of this study suggest that milk production alone could be a suitable surrogate for estimating GHG emissions for national inventory purposes, the GHG emissions intensity of milk production, on an individual farm basis, was shown to vary by over 100% (0.76–1.68 kg CO2e/kg FPCM). It is clear that using a single emissions factor, such as milk production alone, to estimate any given individual farm’s GHG emissions, has the potential to either substantially under- or overestimate individual farms’ GHG emissions.

scholarly journals Mitigating Ruminant Methane: Exploring the Commercialisation of Technologies for Reducing Livestock Methane Emissions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mitchell Easter
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Methane Mitigation ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Commercial Potential

<p>Climate change is a global issue requiring unified action. Methane gas is a major component of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global warming. This project is exploring the commercial potential of Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) developed technologies designed to mitigate the largest source of agricultural methane emissions. These technologies are methane vaccines and inhibitors targeting emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminant livestock. The two technologies share functional aspects but require different administration and upkeep.  As novel technologies designed for a developing market the commercial potential of PGgRc’s methane vaccines and inhibitors is uncertain. To validate the potential methane mitigation products this project focuses on farmer adoption and interaction with the technologies. Interviews with farmers around New Zealand have been used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of methane vaccines and inhibitors from the perspective of the end user.  A thematic analysis of the transcribed data highlighted various concerns among the participating farmers and provides a map of areas needing further investigation when moving forward with developing the technologies. Of key importance was the value methane vaccines and inhibitors offered the participants. Currently, methane mitigation offers no financial benefits to participants and good feelings about acting against climate change are not substantial enough to mitigate purchase and administration costs.  There is potential that using PGgRc’s methane vaccines and inhibitors could improve livestock productivity, but it is yet to be verified based on current testing and development. Establishing that using the technologies leads to increased live weight gain or milk and wool production could provide profitability benefits that farmers would value. This hinges on any benefits providing substantial enough gains to the farmer to offset the purchase and administration costs.  If no productivity benefits are identified government regulations creating a methane cost or subsidising the technologies could be necessary for methane vaccines and inhibitors to have value within the agricultural sector. Alternatively, if consumer purchasing behaviour shifts in favour of low emissions products the agricultural sector will need to shift production methods to remain competitive in the new market environment.  PGgRc aims to employ a licensing business model using the methane vaccine and inhibitor IP they possess. Partnering with an experienced company would provide PGgRc with the market knowledge and manufacturing capabilities producing their technologies requires. As part of their development strategy they aim to develop their technology to a proof of concept stage before forming any production partnerships.  This project highlights the critical factors for successfully commercialising PGgRc’s technologies. It is designed to guide the continued development of the methane mitigation technologies and help shape PGgRc’s market approach.</p>

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