GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM LIQUID SWINE MANURE STORAGE FACILITIES IN SASKATCHEWAN

Abstract

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manure storage facilities at four different commercial farrow-to-finishswine operations under liquid manure management located in Saskatchewan, Canada, were experimentally determinedduring the spring-to-fall period between 2001 and 2003. These operations featured three types of manure storage facilities:uncovered concrete tank, uncovered earthen manure basin (EMB), and covered (blown chopped straw) EMB. GHG emissionrates were expressed in terms of unit mass of animal producing the stored manure. On average, methane and carbon dioxideemission rates were respectively 3.75 g CO2 equivalent day-1 kg-1 and 1.73 g CO2 equivalent day-1 kg-1, while nitrous oxideemission rates were negligible. The total average GHG emission rate measured in this study was 5.48 g CO2 equivalent day-1kg-1. On average, GHG emissions from the uncovered EMB were the largest, while those from the covered EMB were thelowest. Emissions were maximum during the summer and at their lowest during the spring, and night emissions were largerthan those that occurred during the daytime. Estimations based on the results of this study indicate that the addition of a blownchopped straw cover on an EMB can yield reductions in CO2 and CH4 emissions of 56 and 786 tonnes of CO2 equivalent peryear, respectively, for each 1,000-sow increment.