METPART quantiAGREMI

QuantiAGREMI project partners KIT, METAS, UKCEH and TI were joined by Bern University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), EMORY University (USA), INRAE (France) to test and evaluate different measurement systems for the determination of ammonia (NH₃) fluxes. Since NH₃ has distinct adhesive properties and is extremely soluble in water, NH₃ flux measurements have remained a challenge. As such, quantification of the uncertainty of different NH₃ flux methods is pertinent to improve quantification of NH₃ emissions and deposition around livestock buildings. To address both emission and deposition fluxes a series of experiments was conducted during a field study in June/July 2023 in Germany. Background measurements were undertaken where it was assumed deposition fluxes would be the dominant feature. Subsequently, a known amount of NH₃ was released from a circular area within a small footprint of the field. Finally, a known amount of manure was applied to the entire agricultural site in order to cover the footprints of the different measurement approaches. This experiment will contribute to contextualize different measurement approaches as well as identify and characterize technologies for NH₃ flux measurements.

On November 24 2023, the Bavarian Farmers Association organized a symposium on ammonia emissions, manure acidification and manure amendments in the “House of bavarian agriculture” in Herrsching, Germany. QuantiAGREMI project partner KIT, together with Justus-Liebig University Giessen, was invited to give a keynote. Among other results from literature studies and laboratory incubation experiments, preliminary findings of the campaign to test and evaluate different ammonia flux measurement systems in June/July were presented.

On December 7 2023, QuantiAGREMI project partner KIT invited stakeholders to a workshop on “Relevance of manure, biogas residues, fertilizer additives and ammonia emissions for Nitrogen cycling in agricultural ecosystems” to the KIT Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The workshop was advertised through the German trade association of Biogas farmers. The fourteen participants, comprising farmers, consultants and researchers showed lively interest in the preliminary results of the campaign to test and evaluate different ammonia flux measurement systems in June/July 2023. The campaign was carried out by the QuantiAGREMI partners KIT, METAS, UKCEH and TI, who were joined by Bern University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), EMORY University (USA), INRAE (France).

• The QuantiAGREMI project will be hosing a special session at the 14^th International Conference on Air Quality entitled "E issions from Europe's livestock farming". The conference takes place in Helsinki, Finland between 13 and 17 May 2024. For more information, including registration please click here.