Ammonia emissions from nitrogen fertilised agricultural soils: controlling factors and solutions for emission reduction
Catrin Rathbone A and Sami Ullah
A *
A School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, UK.
Catrin Rathbone completed her BSc (Hons) with distinction in Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham and was awarded the Best Dissertation Award. Her dissertation work focused on a systematic review of soil ammonia emissions in lieu of laboratory research due to laboratory access restrictions during COVID19 pandemic. The current manuscript is the outcome of her BSc dissertation: a rarity at this level. She is currently a McCall MacBain Clean Air Fellow studying for an MSc in Air Pollution Management & Control, University of Birmingham, where her research is focused on low cost air quality sensor source apportionment work. |
Sami Ullah is a Professor of Biogeochemistry and Director of the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research at the University of Birmingham. He sat on the Nutrients Management Experts Group of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He uses an innovative blend of field manipulative studies, coupled with laboratory experimentation, to understand the key role of nitrogen availability in meeting plant demands and nitrogen gas emissions into air from soils under agricultural and forested ecosystems under land use and climate change scenarios. He worked with C. Rathbone on her dissertation research for producing this manuscript. |
Abstract
Ammonia emissions from inorganic nitrogen fertilisers used in agriculture can impact air quality, human health and ecology. This study quantifies such emissions and their controlling factors from UK and Ireland agricultural soils. Emissions are variable and, from non-urea fertilisers, substantially exceed maximum emission factors used by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This suggests that UK emission factors need to be refined further, with consideration of inter alia land-use, fertiliser type, soil pH and chemical inhibitors.
Ammonia (NH3) emissions from inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilisers applied to agricultural soils have negative implications for environmental quality and human health. Despite this, efforts to reduce NH3 emissions in the UK have achieved limited success. This study aims to provide an overview of NH3 emissions from UK and Ireland agricultural soils receiving N fertilisers, their regulating factors and the potential role of inhibitors in reducing current NH3 losses.
A systematic literature search was performed to identify relevant experimental data and studies, and the extracted data (total of 298 field fertilisation events) were categorised and analysed systematically.
NH3 emissions ranged from −4.00 to 77.00% of applied fertiliser-N lost as NH3. In addition to fertiliser type, NH3 losses were also significantly affected by land-use type and soil pH. Urease and combined urease and nitrification inhibitors significantly reduced emissions by 74.50 and 70.00% compared to uninhibited-urea respectively.
In addition to fertiliser types, land-use and soil pH were found as factors for consideration as modifiers to the maximum NH3 emission factor (EFmax) values currently used in the UK, in order to improve estimations of NH3 emissions, particularly from non-urea fertilisers. This is imperative as NH3 losses exceeded current EFmax limits, particularly in the case of non-urea fertilisers, by ~34%, implying that NH3 emissions estimated from UK synthetic fertiliser require further refinements. NH3 losses are not completely inhibited, inhibitors cannot be solely relied upon for tackling NH3 emissions from UK and Ireland fertiliser usage and further research is needed into alternative mitigation methods to further reduce NH3 losses.
Keywords: agriculture, ammonia, inorganic nitrogen fertilisers, Ireland, NH3 losses, nitrification inhibitors, Soil, UK, urea, urease inhibitors.
Catrin Rathbone completed her BSc (Hons) with distinction in Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham and was awarded the Best Dissertation Award. Her dissertation work focused on a systematic review of soil ammonia emissions in lieu of laboratory research due to laboratory access restrictions during COVID19 pandemic. The current manuscript is the outcome of her BSc dissertation: a rarity at this level. She is currently a McCall MacBain Clean Air Fellow studying for an MSc in Air Pollution Management & Control, University of Birmingham, where her research is focused on low cost air quality sensor source apportionment work. |
Sami Ullah is a Professor of Biogeochemistry and Director of the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research at the University of Birmingham. He sat on the Nutrients Management Experts Group of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He uses an innovative blend of field manipulative studies, coupled with laboratory experimentation, to understand the key role of nitrogen availability in meeting plant demands and nitrogen gas emissions into air from soils under agricultural and forested ecosystems under land use and climate change scenarios. He worked with C. Rathbone on her dissertation research for producing this manuscript. |
References
AHDB (2020) Nutrient Management Guide (RB209). Available at https://ahdb.org.uk/nutrient-management-guide-rb209
Basu A (2017) How to conduct meta-analysis: a basic tutorial. PeerJ [Preprint] .
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Black AS, Sherlock RR, Smith NP, Cameron KC, Goh KM (1985) Effects of form of nitrogen, season, and urea application rate on ammonia volatilisation from pastures. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 28(4), 469-474.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Bouwman AF, Boumans LJM, Batjes NH (2002) Estimation of global NH3 volatilization loss from synthetic fertilizers and animal manure applied to arable lands and grasslands. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 16(2), 8-1-8-14.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Carswell AM, Gongadze K, Misselbrook TH, Wu L (2019) Impact of transition from permanent pasture to new swards on the nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen and carbon budgets of beef and sheep production. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 283, 106572.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Chambers BJ, Dampney PMR (2009) Nitrogen efficiency and ammonia emissions from urea-based and ammonium nitrate fertilisers. Proceedings - International Fertiliser Society 657, 20.
| Google Scholar |
Cowan N, Carnell E, Skiba U, Dragosits U, Drewer J, Levy P (2020) Nitrous oxide emission factors of mineral fertilisers in the UK and Ireland: a Bayesian analysis of 20 years of experimental data. Environment International 135(1), 105366.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Dari B, Rogers CW, Walsh OS (2019) Understanding Factors Controlling Ammonia Volatilization from Fertilizer Nitrogen Applications. University of Idaho Extension BUL 926, 1-4.
| Google Scholar |
DEFRA (2021) Science Search: Science and Research Projects. Available at https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ [Accessed 1 September 2021]
Degaspari IAM, Soares JR, Montezano ZF, Del Grosso SJ, Vitti AC, Rossetto R, Cantarella H (2020) Nitrogen sources and application rates affect emissions of N2O and NH3 in sugarcane. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 116(3), 329-344.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Forrestal PJ, Harty M, Carolan R, Lanigan GJ, Watson CJ, Laughlin RJ, McNeill G, Chambers BJ, Richards KG (2016) Ammonia emissions from urea, stabilized urea and calcium ammonium nitrate: insights into loss abatement in temperate grassland. Soil Use and Management 32, 92-100.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
FreeWorldMaps.Net (2022) Europe Blank Map. Available at https://www.freeworldmaps.net/europe/blank_map.html [Accessed 8 February 2022]
Heaton L, Fullen MA, Bhattacharyya R (2016) Critical Analysis of the van Bemmelen Conversion Factor used to Convert Soil Organic Matter Data to Soil Organic Carbon Data: Comparative Analyses in a UK Loamy Sand Soil. Espaço Aberto 6(1), 35-44.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
IFA, FAO (2001) ‘Global estimates of gaseous emissions of NH3, NO and N2O from agricultural land.’ (Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations & International Fertilizer Industry Association: Rome, Italy) Available at https://nue.okstate.edu/Ammonia_Loss/globest.pdf
Kah M, Kookana RS, Gogos A, Bucheli TD (2018) A critical evaluation of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers against their conventional analogues. Nature Nanotechnology 13(8), 677-684.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Kim DG, Saggar S, Roudier P (2012) The effect of nitrification inhibitors on soil ammonia emissions in nitrogen managed soils: a meta-analysis. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 93(1), 51-64.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Kim K-H, Kabir E, Kabir S (2015) A review on the human health impact of airborne particulate matter. Environment International 74, 136-143.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Kissel DE, Cabrera ML, Paramasivam S (2008) Ammonium, Ammonia, and Urea Reactions in Soils. In ‘Nitrogen in agricultural systems’. (Eds S Schepers, WR Raun) Agronomy Monograph. pp. 101–155. (Wiley: Madison, WI, USA) 10.2134/agronmonogr49.c4
Lam SK, Suter H, Mosier AR, Chen D (2017) Using nitrification inhibitors to mitigate agricultural N2O emission: a double-edged sword? Global Change Biology 23, 485-489.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Liu L, Xu W, Lu X, Zhong B, Guo Y, Lu X, Zhao Y, He W, Wang S, Zhang X, Liu X, Vitousek P (2022) Exploring global changes in agricultural ammonia emissions and their contribution to nitrogen deposition since 1980. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(14), e2121998119.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Ma R, Zou J, Han Z, Yu K, Wu S, Li Z, Liu S, Niu S, Horwath WR, Zhu‐Barker X (2021) Global soil-derived ammonia emissions from agricultural nitrogen fertilizer application: a refinement based on regional and crop-specific emission factors. Global Change Biology 27(4), 855-867.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Marchiol L (2019) Nanofertilisers. An outlook of crop nutrition in the fourth agricultural revolution. Italian Journal of Agronomy 14(3), 183-190.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Mengist W, Soromessa T, Legese G (2020) Method for conducting systematic literature review and meta-analysis for environmental science research. MethodsX 7, 100777.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
National Statistics (2022) Emissions of air pollutant in the UK – Ammonia (NH3). Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/emissions-of-air-pollutants/emissions-of-air-pollutants-in-the-uk-ammonia-nh3 [Accessed 21 February 2022]
Ni K, Pacholski A, Kage H (2014) Ammonia volatilization after application of urea to winter wheat over 3 years affected by novel urease and nitrification inhibitors. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 197, 184-194.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Pan B, Lam SK, Mosier A, Luo Y, Chen D (2016) Ammonia volatilization from synthetic fertilisers and its mitigation strategies: a global synthesis. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 232, 283-289.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Rochette P, Angers DA, Chantigny MH, Gasser M-O, MacDonald JD, Pelster DE, Bertrand N (2013a) NH3 volatilization, soil NH4+ concentration and soil pH following subsurface banding of urea at increasing rates. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 93(2), 261-268.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Rochette P, Angers DA, Chantigny MH, Gasser M-O, MacDonald JD, Pelster DE, Bertrand N (2013b) Ammonia Volatilization and Nitrogen Retention: How Deep to Incorporate Urea? Journal of environmental quality 42(6), 1635-1642.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Schraml M, Weber A, Heil K, Gutser R, Schmidhalter U (2018) Ammonia losses from urea applied to winter wheat over four consecutive years and potential mitigation by urease inhibitors. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 181(6), 914-922.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Sheppard LJ, Leith ID, Mizunuma T, Neil Cape J, Crossley A, Leeson S, Sutton MA, Dijk N, Fowler D (2011) Dry deposition of ammonia gas drives species change faster than wet deposition of ammonium ions: evidence from a long-term field manipulation. Global Change Biology 17(12), 3589-3607.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Tang YS, Braban CF, Dragosits U, Dore AJ, Simmons I, Van Dijk N, Poskitt J, Dos Santos Pereira G, Keenan PO, Conolly C, Vincent K, Smith RI, Heal MR, Sutton MA (2018) Drivers for spatial, temporal and long-term trends in atmospheric ammonia and ammonium in the UK. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18(2), 705-733.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Ti C, Xia L, Chang SX, Yan X (2019) Potential for mitigating global agricultural ammonia emission: a meta-analysis. Environmental Pollution 245, 141-148.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Tomlinson SJ, Carnell EJ, Dore AJ, Dragosits U (2021) Nitrogen deposition in the UK at 1 km resolution from 1990 to 2017. Earth System Science Data 13(10), 4677-4692.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Watson CJ (1990) The influence of soil properties on the effectiveness of phenylphosphorodiamidate (PPD) in reducing ammonia volatilization from surface applied urea. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 24(1), 1-10.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Wu P, Liu F, Li H, Cai T, Zhang P, Jia Z (2021) Suitable fertilizer application depth can increase nitrogen use efficiency and maize yield by reducing gaseous nitrogen losses. The Science of the Total Environment 781, 146787.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Xu R, Tian H, Pan S, Prior SA, Feng Y, Batchelor WD, Chen J, Yang J (2019) Global ammonia emissions from synthetic nitrogen fertilizer applications in agricultural systems: Empirical and process-based estimates and uncertainty. Global Change Biology 25(1), 314-326.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Zhang P, Guo Z, Ullah S, Melagraki G, Afantitis A, Lynch I (2021) Nanotechnology and artificial intelligence to enable sustainable and precision agriculture. Nature Plants 7(7), 864-876.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
