Oslo, Norway: A study over three consecutive years demonstrated that plasma-based nitrogen enrichment stops methane being emitted from stored livestock manure. This is important because methane is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The study compared the methane formation from cow manure to the methane formation in nitrogen enriched cow manure (NEO). The material was kept in two outdoor storage tanks for 70-80 summer days over three consecutive years at NMBU (Ås, Norway). In all instances, the methane formation was eliminated completely.
A controlled laboratory experiment was also conducted to explain the mechanism behind the inhibition of methane emissions. The effect of acidification by sulphuric acid and the effect of nitrogen amendments were compared to the plasma treatment. The results indicate that the plasma itself plays a significant role in the stabilisation of the stored manure.
– This study shows that plasma-based nitrogen enrichment of livestock manure eliminates the formation of the potent greenhouse gas methane. The N2 Applied plasma technology will therefore significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production, says Magnus Nyvold, R&D manager at N2 Applied and PhD candidate at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
The full article can be found here
The study was conducted by Professor Peter Dörsch, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and Magnus Nyvold, PhD candidate at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and R&D manager at N2 Applied.