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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Research Project #446193

Research Project: Evaluating Variability in Emissions at Swine and Dairy Operations

Location: Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research

Project Number: 2054-12000-013-011-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: May 20, 2024
End Date: Jun 30, 2026

Objective:
Measure whole farm ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions at commercial swine and dairy facilities in NY, WI, IA, ID, NC, TX, and OK utilizing a mobile laboratory. Evaluate the on-farm management practices that contribute to variability in farm to farm emissions.

Approach:
Aerodyne Research, Inc. will utilize their Miniature Mobile Laboratory which enable rapid deployment of a focused research-grade instrumentation suite to conduct measurement campaigns. Fast and sensitive instruments are tunable infrared laser direct absorption spectroscopy to measure small gases, such as CH4, NH3, and N2O, while in motion. Supporting equipment on-board collects meteorological information to provide context for the other data. The Tracer Flux Ratio methodology will be used for quantification of emissions. Downwind concentration measurements are gathered in motion and aim to intersect the co-mingled plumes of tracer and source gas. The ratio of the observed concentrations scaled by the known release rate can estimate the unknown emission rate (e.g., CH4 animal unit-1 d-1). Measurements will be made at approximately 15 farms within each of the six regions with two separate trips to each region. 2024 June 15: Initial planning; Y1 Measurement Plan October 1: Completion of Y1 measurements; Preliminary Y1 data January 1: Final data and analysis; Y1 Report 2025 July 1: Initial planning; Y2 Measurement Plan October 1: Completion of Y2 measurements; Preliminary Y2 data January 1: Final data and analysis; Y2 Report