A comparison of Tier 1, 2, and 3 methods for quantifying nitrous oxide emissions from soils amended with biosolids.

Municipal biosolids are a nitrogen (N)-rich agricultural fertilizer which may emit nitrous oxide (N2O) after rainfall events. Due to sparse empirical data, there is a lack of biosolids-specific N2O emission factors to determine how land-applied biosolids contribute to the national greenhouse gas inventory. This study estimated N2O emissions from biosolids-amended land in Canada using Tier 1, Tier 2 (Canadian), and Tier 3 (Denitrification and Decomposition model [DNDC]) methodologies recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Field data was from replicated plots at 8 site-years between 2017 and 2019 in the provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta, Canada, representing three distinct ecozones. Municipal biosolids were the major N source for the crop, applied as mesophilic anaerobically digested biosolids, composted biosolids, or alkaline-stabilized biosolids alone or combined with an equal amount of urea-N fertilizer to meet the crop N requirements. Fluxes of N2O were measured during the growing season with manual chambers and compared to N2O emissions estimated using the IPCC methods. In all site-years, the mean emission of N2O in the growing season was greater with digested biosolids than other biosolids sources or urea fertilizer alone. The emissions of N2O in the growing season were similar with composted or alkaline-stabilized biosolids, and no greater than the unfertilized control. The best estimates of N2O emissions, relative to measured values, were with the Tier 3 > adapted Tier 2 with biosolids-specific correction factors > standard Tier 2 = Tier 1 methods of the IPCC, according to the root mean square error statistic. The Tier 3 IPCC method was the best estimator of N2O emissions in the Canadian ecozones evaluated in this study. These results will be used to improve methods for estimating N2O emissions from agricultural soils amended with biosolids and to generate more accurate GHG inventories.

Greenhouse gas emissions following biosolids application to farmland: Estimates from the DeNitrification and DeComposition model.

Municipal wastewater sludge may be processed into biosolids and applied to farmland for crop production, rather than be disposed of in landfills. Biosolids supply plant nutrients and increase soil organic carbon but also contribute to the production of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Computational models must therefore be refined to estimate the contribution of these gases to national GHG inventories. The DeNitrification and DeComposition (DNDC) model was evaluated for processes regulating crop growth, GHGs and soil C&N dynamics to determine its suitability for informing policy decision-making and advancing Canada's GHG inventory. Three years (2017-2019) of data were collected from replicated corn (Zea mays L.) plots in Quebec, Canada. The plots received 120 kg of available N ha-1 y-1 in mesophilic anaerobically digested biosolids, composted biosolids, alkaline-stabilized biosolids, urea, or combinations of these, while control plots were left unfertilized. Treatments receiving digested biosolids emitted more nitrous oxide (N2O) during the growing season than other treatments, while carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were similar between treatments. After calibration, DNDC estimates were within the 95% confidence interval of the measured variables. Correlation coefficients (r) indicated discrepancies in trends between the estimated and measured values for daily CO2 and N2O emissions. These emissions were underestimated in the early and mid-growing season of 2018. They were more variable from plots fertilized with composted or alkaline-stabilized biosolids than from those with digested biosolids. Annual N2O emissions (r = 0.8), crop yields (r = 0.5), and soil organic carbon (r = 0.4) were modelled with higher accuracy than cumulative CO2 emissions (r = 0.3) and total soil N (r = 0.1). These findings suggest that DNDC is suitable for estimating field-scale N2O emissions following biosolids application, but estimates of CO2 emissions could be improved, perhaps by disaggregating the biosolids from the soil organic matter pools in the decomposition subroutines.

The effects of temperature and duration of thermal pretreatment on the solid-state anaerobic digestion of dairy cow manure.

Cellulosic substrates such as dairy cow manure often yield low volumes of biogas and low concentrations of methane when digested anaerobically. Thermal pretreatment of dairy cow manure was investigated to determine if pretreatment temperature and duration can be optimized to maximize biogas yield and methane concentration. A central composite rotatable design was used to select combinations of temperature and duration. Based on measured data, statistical models were generated to estimate the biogas yield and methane concentration during digestion. The highest biogas yields were from the untreated samples and samples treated at the center temperature and duration of the statistical model (125 °C, 37.5 min). The model predicted the optimum pretreatment conditions of 140 °C for 30 minutes. Under the conditions of this experiment, temperature and duration had no significant effect on the biogas yield and methane concentration. This lack of significance may indicate that thermal pretreatment may be an unnecessary step in the anaerobic digestion of dairy cow manure, which could reduce capital and operating costs for the industry.

Bioavailability of Sodium and Trace Metals under Direct and Indirect Effects of Compost in Urban Soils.

The contamination of urban soil with sodium (Na) and trace metals can be one of the major concerns for groundwater contamination and street tree health. The bioavailability of Na, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in urban soil amended with 0, 5, and 10% w/w compost was evaluated at none, medium, and high contamination levels of soil mixtures. The relationship between soil properties, compost addition, contamination level and metal uptake by barley ( L.) was determined using multivariate linear regression and path analysis. The results indicated the direct negative effect of compost on metal absorption possibly through specific complexation for Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb. Compost can also affect the absorption of Na and Cd indirectly by means of cation exchange capacity (CEC) and pH. The degree of soil contamination with metals can affect the competition of cations for the complexing sites of the soil mixtures and, therefore, can induce changes in metal availability for plants. Compost addition to the soil also increased nutrient availability, except for ammonium (NH) and nitrate (NO). We concluded that in the short term, the addition of compost significantly reduced metal bioavailability and improved nutrient availability. However, more studies are required to monitor the long-term ability of the compost to reduce Na and trace metal bioavailability in urban soil.

Trace metal contamination influenced by land use, soil age, and organic matter in montreal tree pit soil.

The short life span of many street trees in the Montreal downtown area may be due in part to higher than standard concentrations of trace metals in the tree pit soils. The effects of land use, soil organic matter, and time since tree planting in a given tree pit (soil age) were studied with respect to the total concentration of trace metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in soil collected from tree pits on commercial and residential streets. Contingency table analysis and multiple linear regression were applied to study how these variables were related to the total concentrations of trace metals in soil. Other variables, such as pH, street width, distance of the tree pit from the curb, and tree pit volume, were also used as input to statistical analysis to increase the analysis' explanatory power. Significantly higher concentrations of Cu, Cd, Zn, and Pb were observed in soils from commercial streets, possibly as a result of heavier traffic as compared with residential streets. Soil organic matter was positively correlated with the concentrations of Cu and Pb, probably due to the ability of organic matter to retain these trace metals. Nickel, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb were positively correlated with the soil age presumably because trace metals accumulate in the tree pit soil over time. This knowledge can be helpful in providing soil quality standards aimed at improving the longevity of downtown street trees.

Influence of free air space on microbial kinetics in passively aerated compost.

The influence of free air space (FAS) on passively aerated composting has been reported, but the quantitative relationship between FAS and the microbial kinetics in passively aerated compost has not been investigated. This relationship was studied by composting dairy manure and straw in an enclosed, passively aerated, cylindrical vessel. Based on this experimental system, conceptual and numerical models were developed in which the compost bed was considered to consist of layered elements, each being physically and chemically homogeneous. The microbial activity in each layer was represented in order to predict oxygen and substrate consumption and the release of water and heat. Convective transport of air, moisture, and heat through the layers was represented. Microbial growth and substrate consumption rates were described using modified first-order kinetics for each of the mesophilic and thermophilic temperature regimes. The values of the microbial kinetic parameters were adjusted for each layer based on an innovative, non-linear, statistical analysis of temperature histories recorded at different layers in the compost bed during three treatments (i.e., FAS values of 0.45, 0.52, and 0.65). Microbial kinetic rate constants were found to follow a sigmoid relationship with FAS, with correlation coefficients (R(2)) of 0.97 for the mesophilic stage and 0.96 for the thermophilic stage. Temperature histories and airflow measurements from a fourth treatment (FAS value of 0.57) were used as an independent check of the model's performance. Simulation results indicate that the model could predict the general trend of temperature development. A plot of the residuals shows that the model is biased, however, possibly because many parameters in the model were not measured directly but instead were estimated from literature. The result from this study demonstrates a new method for describing the relationship between microbial kinetics (k(max)) and substrate FAS, which could be used to improve the design, optimization, and management of passively aerated composting facilities.

A statistical method for the analysis of nonlinear temperature time series from compost.

Temperature is widely accepted as a critical indicator of aerobic microbial activity during composting but, to date, little effort has been made to devise an appropriate statistical approach for the analysis of temperature time series. Nonlinear, time-correlated effects have not previously been considered in the statistical analysis of temperature data from composting, despite their importance and the ubiquity of such features. A novel mathematical model is proposed here, based on a modified Gompertz function, which includes nonlinear, time-correlated effects. Methods are shown to estimate initial values for the model parameter. Algorithms in SAS are used to fit the model to different sets of temperature data from passively aerated compost. Methods are then shown for testing the goodness-of-fit of the model to data. Next, a method is described to determine, in a statistically rigorous manner, the significance of differences among the time-correlated characteristics of the datasets as described using the proposed model. An extra-sum-of-squares method was selected for this purpose. Finally, the model and methods are used to analyze a sample dataset and are shown to be useful tools for the statistical comparison of temperature data in composting.

Preliminary investigation of air bubbling and dietary sulfur reduction to mitigate hydrogen sulfide and odor from swine waste.

When livestock manure slurry is agitated, the sudden release of hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) can raise concentrations to dangerous levels. Low-level air bubbling and dietary S reduction were evaluated as methods for reducing peak H(2)S emissions from swine (Sus scrofa) manure slurry samples. In a first experiment, 15-L slurry samples were stored in bench-scale digesters and continuously bubbled with air at 0 (control), 5, or 10 mL min(-1) for 28 d. The 5-L headspace of each digester was also continuously ventilated at 40 mL min(-1) and the mean H(2)S concentration in the outlet air was <10 microL L(-1). On Day 28, the slurry was agitated suddenly. The peak H(2)S concentration exceeded instrument range (>120 microL L(-1)) from the control treatment, and was 47 and 3.4 microL L(-1) for the 5 and 10 mL min(-1) treatments, respectively. In a second experiment, individually penned barrows were fed rations with dietary S concentrations of 0.34, 0.24, and 0.15% (w/w). Slurry derived from each diet was bubbled with air in bench-scale digesters, as before, at 10 mL min(-1) for 12 d and the mean H(2)S concentration in the digester outlet air was 11 microL L(-1). On Day 12, the slurry was agitated but the H(2)S emissions did not change significantly. Both low-level bubbling of air through slurry and dietary S reduction appear to be viable methods for reducing peak H(2)S emissions from swine manure slurry at a bench scale, but these approaches must be validated at larger scales.

Manipulation of dietary protein and nonstarch polysaccharide to control swine manure emissions.

Odor and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stored pig (Sus scrofa) manure were monitored for response to changes in the crude protein level (168 or 139 g kg(-1), as-fed basis) and nonstarch polysaccharide (NSP) content [i.e., control, or modified with beet pulp (Beta vulgaris L.), cornstarch, or xylanase] of diets fed to pigs in a production setting. Each diet was fed to one of eight pens of pigs according to a 2 x 4, full-factorial design, replicated over three time blocks with different groups of animals and random assignment of diets. Manure from each treatment was characterized and stored in a separate, ventilated, 200-L vessel. Repeated measurements of odor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the vessels were taken every two weeks for eight weeks. Manure from high-protein diets had higher sulfur concentration and pH (P < or = 0.05). High-NSP (beet pulp) diets resulted in lower manure nitrogen and ammonia concentrations and pH (P < or = 0.05). Odor level and hedonic tone of exhaust air from the storage vessel headspaces were unaffected by the dietary treatments. Mean CO2 and CH4 emissions (1400 and 42 g d(-1) m(-3) manure, respectively) increased with lower dietary protein (P < or = 0.05). The addition of xylanase to high-protein diets caused a decrease in manure CO2 emissions, but an increase when added to low-protein diets (P < or = 0.05). Nitrous oxide emissions were negligible. Contrary to other studies, these results do not support the use of dietary protein reduction to reduce emissions from stored swine manure.