Greenhouse gas emissions from green waste composting windrow. 2017

Xia Zhu-Barker, and Shannon K Bailey, and Kyaw Tha Paw U, and Martin Burger, and William R Horwath
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, United States. Electronic address: wyjzhu@ucdavis.edu.

The process of composting is a source of greenhouse gases (GHG) that contribute to climate change. We monitored three field-scale green waste compost windrows over a one-year period to measure the seasonal variance of the GHG fluxes. The compost pile that experienced the wettest and coolest weather had the highest average CH4 emission of 254±76gCday-1 dry weight (DW) Mg-1 and lowest average N2O emission of 152±21mgNday-1 DW Mg-1compared to the other seasonal piles. The highest N2O emissions (342±41mgNday-1 DW Mg-1) came from the pile that underwent the driest and hottest weather. The compost windrow oxygen (O2) concentration and moisture content were the most consistent factors predicting N2O and CH4 emissions from all seasonal compost piles. Compared to N2O, CH4 was a higher contributor to the overall global warming potential (GWP) expressed as CO2 equivalents (CO2 eq.). Therefore, CH4 mitigation practices, such as increasing O2 concentration in the compost windrows through moisture control, feedstock changes to increase porosity, and windrow turning, may reduce the overall GWP of composting. Based on the results of the present study, statewide total GHG emissions of green waste composting were estimated at 789,000Mg of CO2 eq., representing 2.1% of total annual GHG emissions of the California agricultural sector and 0.18% of the total state emissions.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008697 Methane The simplest saturated hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, flammable gas, slightly soluble in water. It is one of the chief constituents of natural gas and is formed in the decomposition of organic matter. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)
D009584 Nitrogen An element with the atomic symbol N, atomic number 7, and atomic weight [14.00643; 14.00728]. Nitrogen exists as a diatomic gas and makes up about 78% of the earth's atmosphere by volume. It is a constituent of proteins and nucleic acids and found in all living cells.
D009609 Nitrous Oxide Nitrogen oxide (N2O). A colorless, odorless gas that is used as an anesthetic and analgesic. High concentrations cause a narcotic effect and may replace oxygen, causing death by asphyxia. It is also used as a food aerosol in the preparation of whipping cream. Laughing Gas,Nitrogen Protoxide,Gas, Laughing,Oxide, Nitrous
D010100 Oxygen An element with atomic symbol O, atomic number 8, and atomic weight [15.99903; 15.99977]. It is the most abundant element on earth and essential for respiration. Dioxygen,Oxygen-16,Oxygen 16
D012037 Refuse Disposal The discarding or destroying of garbage, sewage, or other waste matter or its transformation into something useful or innocuous. Waste Disposal, Solid,Disposal, Refuse,Disposal, Solid Waste,Disposals, Refuse,Disposals, Solid Waste,Refuse Disposals,Solid Waste Disposal,Solid Waste Disposals,Waste Disposals, Solid
D002244 Carbon A nonmetallic element with atomic symbol C, atomic number 6, and atomic weight [12.0096; 12.0116]. It may occur as several different allotropes including DIAMOND; CHARCOAL; and GRAPHITE; and as SOOT from incompletely burned fuel. Carbon-12,Vitreous Carbon,Carbon 12,Carbon, Vitreous
D002245 Carbon Dioxide A colorless, odorless gas that can be formed by the body and is necessary for the respiration cycle of plants and animals. Carbonic Anhydride,Anhydride, Carbonic,Dioxide, Carbon
D004784 Environmental Monitoring The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment. Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D005740 Gases The vapor state of matter; nonelastic fluids in which the molecules are in free movement and their mean positions far apart. Gases tend to expand indefinitely, to diffuse and mix readily with other gases, to have definite relations of volume, temperature, and pressure, and to condense or liquefy at low temperatures or under sufficient pressure. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)
D000383 Agriculture The science, art or practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock. Agronomy,Agricultural Development,Farming,Agronomies,Development, Agricultural

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