PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Additive to make slurry more climate-friendly

Study by the University of Bonn confirms reduction of the greenhouse gas methane by 99 percent

Additive to make slurry more climate-friendly
2023-03-03
(Press-News.org) Greenhouse gases act like a layer of window glass in the atmosphere: They prevent heat from being radiated from the Earth's surface into space. Methane does that 28 times as effectively as carbon dioxide - it is (to stay in the picture) a kind of invisible double glazing.

Over the past 200 years, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled. This is mainly due to human meat consumption: For one thing, cows and other ruminants produce methane during digestion. Another important source is the excrement of the animals. "One-third of the world's man-made methane comes from livestock," explains Felix Holtkamp, who is completing his doctorate at the INRES Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation at the University of Bonn. "It's estimated that up to 50 percent of it originates from fermentation processes in the slurry."

Researchers around the globe are therefore looking for ways to suppress these processes. Holtkamp, his scientific supervisor Dr. Manfred Trimborn from the Institute for Agricultural Engineering at the University of Bonn, and Dr. Joachim Clemens from the fertilizer manufacturer SF-Soepenberg GmbH have now presented a promising solution to the problem. "We combined slurry from a farm in the lab with calcium cyanamide, a chemical that has been used as a fertilizer in agriculture for more than 100 years," Holtkamp says. "This brought methane production to an almost complete halt."

Emissions fell by 99 percent

Overall, emissions fell by 99 percent. This effect started barely an hour after the addition and persisted until the end of the experiment half a year later. The long effectiveness is important, because slurry is not simply discarded. Rather, it is stored until the beginning of the following growing season and then spread on the fields as a valuable fertilizer. Months of storage are therefore quite common.

During this time, the slurry is transformed by bacteria and fungi: They break down undigested organic material into smaller and smaller molecules. Methane is produced at the end of these processes. "Calcium cyanamide breaks this chain of chemical transformations, and does so simultaneously at different points, as we were able to see in the chemical analysis of the slurry treated accordingly," Holtkamp explains. "The substance suppresses the microbial degradation of short-chain fatty acids, an intermediate in the chain, and their conversion to methane. Exactly how this happens is still unknown."

But the substance has other advantages as well: It enriches the slurry with nitrogen and thus improves its fertilizing effect. It also prevents the formation of so-called floating layers - these are deposits of organic matter that form a solid crust on the slurry and hinder gas exchange. This crust usually needs to be regularly broken up and stirred in.

The process also has advantages for the animals themselves: They are often kept on so-called slatted floors. Their excrement falls through openings in the floor into a large container. Microbial conversion allows the fecal-urine mixture to foam up over time and rise back up through the gaps. "The animals are then standing in their own excrement," Holtkamp says. "Calcium cyanamide stops this foaming." The costs are also manageable - they are around 0.3 to 0.5 cents per liter of milk for cattle farming.

Slurry "purity law" currently prevents use

It is still unclear how the method affects the release of ammonia from the slurry. Ammonia is a toxic gas that, while not harmful to the climate itself, can be converted to dangerous greenhouse gases. "We have initial indications that the amount of ammonia is also reduced in the long term," says Dr. Manfred Trimborn of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Bonn. "We can't say for sure at this point, though."

In Germany, an environmental law currently prevents the addition of calcium cyanamide: A strict purity requirement applies to conventionally stored slurry at present.

Participating institutions:

In addition to the University of Bonn, SF-Soepenberg GmbH in Hünxe was involved in the study.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Additive to make slurry more climate-friendly Additive to make slurry more climate-friendly 2 Additive to make slurry more climate-friendly 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Case study of rare, endangered tortoise highlights conservation priorities for present, future World Wildlife Days

Case study of rare, endangered tortoise highlights conservation priorities for present, future World Wildlife Days
2023-03-03
Though wildlife trafficking has been effectively disrupted since the first World Wildlife Day—established 50 years ago today via the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora—a newly published case study on one of the world’s rarest tortoise species, the ploughshare tortoise, highlights how much room for improvement still exists. In a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of the Sciences, University of Maryland Associate Professor Meredith Gore and her coauthors—Babson College’s Emily Griffin, ...

Fluorescent protein sheds light on bee brains

Fluorescent protein sheds light on bee brains
2023-03-03
An international team of bee researchers involving Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has integrated a calcium sensor into honey bees to enable the study of neural information processing including response to odours. This also provides insights into how social behaviour is located in the brain, as the researchers now report in the scientific journal PLOS Biology. Insects are important so-called model organisms for research. Despite more than 600 million years of independent evolution, insects share more than 60% of their DNA with humans. For several decades it was mainly the fruit fly ...

Researchers identify gene mutation capable of regulating pain

Researchers identify gene mutation capable of regulating pain
2023-03-03
Pain afflicts at least 1.5 billion people worldwide, and despite the availability of various painkilling drugs, not all forms of pain are treatable. Moreover, pain medications can have side-effects such as dependence and tolerance, especially in the case of morphine and other opioids.  In search of novel painkillers, researchers at Butantan Institute’s Special Pain and Signaling Laboratory (LEDS) in São Paulo, Brazil, studied TRPV1, a sensory neuron receptor that captures noxious stimuli, including heat and the burning sensation conveyed by chili peppers, and ...

Chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer cells protect their neighbors

Chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer cells protect their neighbors
2023-03-03
Certain chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer cells protect neighboring cancer cells by sending signals that induce resistance, according to a new study from University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers that may help explain why ovarian cancer patients respond poorly to chemotherapy or relapse after treatment. Published in Clinical Cancer Research, the study investigated chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells called quiescent cells. As chemotherapy primarily targets rapidly dividing cells, quiescent cells are resistant because they divide ...

When ‘good genes’ go bad: how sexual conflict can cause population collapse

2023-03-03
Males of a species evolving traits for sexual conflict can cause problems for females, and, ultimately, the whole population. A new model by Imperial College London and University of Lausanne researchers, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows how so-called ‘good genes’ can sometimes cause a population to collapse. Males of any species may compete for females, either by fighting other males for access or impressing females to win their approval. In both cases, ...

UC Davis study uncovers age-related brain differences in autistic individuals

UC Davis study uncovers age-related brain differences in autistic individuals
2023-03-03
A new study led by UC Davis MIND Institute researchers confirms that brain development in people with autism differs from those with typical neurodevelopment. According to the study published in PNAS, these differences are linked to genes involved in inflammation, immunity response and neural transmissions. They begin in childhood and evolve across the lifespan. About one in 44 children in the U.S. has autism. Autistic individuals may behave, communicate and learn in ways that are different from neurotypical people. As they age, they often have challenges with social communication ...

An interdisciplinary solution for enhanced high-resolution imaging in electron and optical microscopy

2023-03-03
Although electron microscopy can already reveal details as small as one nanometer, ongoing research seeks to break through barriers limiting image quality and reducing the optical dose on the samples. Aberration is a common problem in electron microscopy that can reduce the resolution and quality of the images produced. Additional complex phase and amplitude controls are needed in these microscopes. An international team of researchers led by Akhil Kallepalli (Kallepalli Lab) working within the Optics Group at the University of Glasgow set out to address the problem. Working from an optics perspective, they developed and tested a new ghost ...

Tree rings and strontium point researchers to the provenance of 400-year-old timber

Tree rings and strontium point researchers to the provenance of 400-year-old timber
2023-03-03
Tree-ring analysis – so-called dendrochronological analysis – has been part of archaeology for many years and has made it possible for archaeologists to date old wooden objects with great precision. And in many cases, they have also been able to determine the provenance of the wood. But it has proven difficult for researchers to determine timber’s place of origin when the historic timber was imported into Denmark from further afield to serve as building material. In a new study in the journal PLOS ONE, Associate Professor Aoife Daly and Dr Alicia Van Ham-Meert from the University of Copenhagen show that combining analyses of ...

Chinese scientists discovered roles of hypothalamic amino acid sensing in antidepressant effects

Chinese scientists discovered roles of hypothalamic amino acid sensing in antidepressant effects
2023-03-03
Depression is a leading cause of disability around the world and contributes greatly to the global burden of disease. Nutrition is essential for the maintenance of normal emotional states. Nutritional therapy is rising up in many disease treatments, but little is known in the depression field. Unbalanced nutrition is implicated in the etiology of depression, potentially hindering treatment. For example, many essential amino acids (EAAs) in serum are changed in patients with depression, such as tryptophan, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. However, whether EAA contributes to depression ...

Health policy experts call for confronting anti-vaccine activism with life-saving counter narratives

Health policy experts call for confronting anti-vaccine activism with life-saving counter narratives
2023-03-03
Public and private sector health officials and public policymakers should team up immediately with community leaders to more effectively disseminate accurate narratives regarding the life-saving benefits of vaccines to counter widespread, harmful misinformation from anti-vaccine activists. Such is the message of a UC Riverside-led viewpoint piece published Thursday, March 2, in the leading international medical journal, The Lancet. “We need to consistently amplify the best science and find the best ways of communicating so that people are hearing it through multiple channels instead of through one or two sources,” ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

[Press-News.org] Additive to make slurry more climate-friendly
Study by the University of Bonn confirms reduction of the greenhouse gas methane by 99 percent