Ammonia emission from FYM heaps and cattle and swine slurry stores

Measurement of ammonia emission were performed from pig and cattle slurry storage and from manure heaps. Measurement from slurry stores were performed by means of a specific system consisting of a 0.138 m2 captor, a trap containing 400 ml of a 1% boric acid solution, a vacuum pump, an interceptor trap, a volume meter and a flow-meter. The device is arranged to suck the air from the funnel with a flow rate of 9 l/min. The ammonia present in air is then fixed by the boric acid solution into ammonium borate and its concentration can be rapidly determined by titration with 0.1 N sulphuric acid. The captors were mounted on a special polystyrene and wooden flotating frame and placed on the slurry surface. The captors are let free to float on the slurry surface so that the area subjected to the measurement changes continuously. Measurements of ammonia emission from manure heaps were performed by means of by means of Open Large Dynamic Chamber. Trials carried out along the four season cattje (8-10% TS) and pig (3-4% TS) slurries pointed out ammonia losses up to 1.6 gNH3/m2 and 2.5 gNH3/m2 per day respectively. First results of ammonia emissions measured from FYM heaps (autumn and winter) showed average emission floes to 3.3 gNH3/m2 per day corresponding to losses ranging from approximately 5.4% tp 9.4% of heaps TKN.