Is atmospheric NH3 from poultry barns a
significant contributor to groundwater nitrate?
Daniel Seeton1,2*, Shabtai Bittman1, Derek Hunt1, and Maja Krzic2
1Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada, Agassiz, BC V0M 1A0
2University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4.
Objectives
• Quantify the poultry barn emissions and dry deposition of
ammonia on the farm throughout the year.
• Determine the nitrate levels in the soil solution at several
distances from the barn fans and model the leaching of
nitrates into the aquifer.
2 Barn Facility
12 m
66 m
86 m
9,000 birds
11,000 birds
Prevailing
Wind
7m
Deposition Pattern In Corridor
Corridor Length (m)
Corridor Length (m)
50
40
70
70
60
60
60
50
50
50
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
2
4
5
Corridor
Width (m)
0
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
40
30
20
10
0
2
4
5
Corridor
Width (m)
0
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
0
2
4
5
Corridor
Width (m)
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
2.0
40
Cycle 2
Day 29
(g/m2 NH4-N)
70
70
60
60
50
50
Corridor Length (m)
60
70
Corridor Length (m)
70
Cycle 1
Day 30
(g/m2 NH4-N)
Cycle 2
Day 16
(g/m2 NH4-N)
Cycle 1
Day 16
(g/m2 NH4-N)
Corridor Length (m)
Cycle 2
Day 3
(g/m2 NH4-N)
Corridor Length (m)
Cycle 1
Day 4
(g/m2 NH4-N)
[1 g/m2 = 10 kg/ha]
40
40
30
30
30
20
20
20
10
10
10
0
2
4
5
Corridor
Width (m)
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
2.0
0
2
4
5
Corridor
Width (m)
0.0
0.6
1.2
1.8
2.4
3.0
3.6
0
2
4
5
Corridor
Width (m)
0.0
0.6
1.2
1.8
2.4
3.0
3.6
Deposition Pattern on Farm
[1 g/m2 = 10 kg/ha]
• Cumulative Dry Deposition
• Cycle 1: 9627 g NH4-N in 36 days
• Cycle 2: 3849 g NH4-N in 29 days*
Cycle 2
(NH4-N g/m2)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
80
80
60
60
Farm Length (m)
Farm Length (m)
Cycle 1
(NH4-N g/m2)
40
20
40
20
0
0
-20
-20
-20
-10
0
Farm Width (m)
10
20
-20
-10
0
Farm Width (m)
10
20
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Barn Emissions and Dry Deposition
• % of emitted NH4-N deposited on the farm:
• Cycle 1: 4.03%
• Cycle 2: 5.54%
120,000
100,000
• Emission factors
• Cycle 2: 0.16 g NH4-N/bird/day*
Cycle 2 Deposition
80,000
NH4-N (g/day)
• Cycle 1: 0.37 g NH4-N/bird/day
Cycle 2 Emissions
Cycle 1 Emissions
Cycle 1 Deposition
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
Bird Age (days)
30
35
40
Nitrate in the Soil Solution vs Distance
300
250
NO3-N (mg/L)
200
150
100
Exhaust
Control
50
0
0
5
10Distance from the Barn (m)15
20
25
Nitrate in the Soil Solution vs Time
350
70
2.1 m
3.6 m
20 m
60
Weekly Rain Fall (mm)
250
50
200
40
150
30
100
20
50
10
0
14/Sep/11
4/Oct/11
24/Oct/11
13/Nov/11
3/Dec/11
23/Dec/11
12/Jan/12
1/Feb/12
21/Feb/12
12/Mar/12
0
1/Apr/12
Rain Fall (mm)
NO3-N (mg/L)
300
Ongoing Activities
Water Balance Model (NO3 leaching potential)
•
Lysimeter Concentrations  Leaching Flux
High Density Deposition Sampling
•
Smaller grid size
•
Provides a better estimate of deposition in corridor
Aquifer Estimations
• 2005 Nitrogen Model Broiler Data
•
Estimate of emissions
•
Notes current live bird numbers for each week
House Emissions
Emission Factor
(g NH4-N/bird/day) Bird Population (kg NH4-N/week)
2005 Nitrogen Model
Measured Cycles
Deposition
Percentage
Farm Deposition
(kg NH4-N/week)
-
1,580,655
2,060
-
-
0.33*
"
2,412**
4.92%*
119**
* calculated from both cycles
** calculated using the Emission Factor and the Bird Population
Concluding Remarks
• Emission and deposition measurements appear consistent
with the literature
• Lysimeter measurements show differences in soil solution
nitrate through distance and time
• Seasonal trends are expected to be significant
Thank You
Supervisors Maja Krzic (UBC) and Shabtai Bittman (AAFC)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – Agassiz
- Derek Hunt, Maureen Schaber, Anthony Friesen, Frederic Bounaix, Connie
Pietrafesa, Pierre Groenenboom and nameless Co-op students
BC Sustainable Poultry Farming Group
- Kevin and Lindsay Chipperfield
- Mike Wilcock
- Cooperating producers