Strategies to reduce nutrient pollution from manure management in China
David R. CHADWICK1,2(), John R. WILLIAMS3, Yuelai LU4, Lin MA5, Zhaohai BAI5, Yong HOU6, Xinping CHEN2, Thomas H. MISSELBROOK7
1. School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK 2. Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China 3. ADAS RSK, Boxworth, Cambridge, CB23 4NN, UK 4. University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK 5. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China 6. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China 7. Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Devon, EX20 2LB, UK
As the demand for livestock products continues to increase in China, so too does the challenge of managing increasing quantities of manure. Urgent action is needed to control point source (housing, storage and processing) and diffuse (field application) pollution and improve the utilization of manure nutrients and organic matter. Here, we review strategies to improve management at each stage of the manure management chain and at different scales. Many strategies require infrastructure investment, e.g., for containment of all manure fractions. Engineering solutions are needed to develop advanced composting systems with lower environmental footprints and design more efficient nutrient stripping technologies. At the field-scale, there is an urgent need to develop a manure nutrient recommendation system that accounts for the range of manure types, cropping systems, soils and climates throughout China. At the regional scale, coordinated planning is necessary to promote recoupling of livestock and cropping systems, and reduce nutrient accumulation in regions with little available landbank, while minimizing the risk of pollution swapping from one region to another. A range of stakeholders are needed to support the step change and innovation required to improve manure management, reduce reliance on inorganic fertilizers, and generate new business opportunities.
. [J]. Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering, 2020, 7(1): 45-55.
David R. CHADWICK, John R. WILLIAMS, Yuelai LU, Lin MA, Zhaohai BAI, Yong HOU, Xinping CHEN, Thomas H. MISSELBROOK. Strategies to reduce nutrient pollution from manure management in China. Front. Agr. Sci. Eng. , 2020, 7(1): 45-55.
• Containment • Cover manure store • Sell manure to composting factory
• Not practical
• Small-scale machinery to transport manure to own or neighbors’ land • Pay contractor to transport and spread manure • Use a manure recommendation system
Community (TAFO)
• Containment • Remove manure frequently
• Containment • Cover manure stores • Manure acidification • Sell manure to composting factory or centralized anaerobic digestion plant
• Small-scale machinery to transport manure to own or neighbors’ land • Pay contractor to transport and spread manure • Use a manure recommendation system
• Use own machinery to transport manure to own or neighbors’ land • Pay contractor to transport and spread manure • Contracts with local farmers to receive manures • Use a manure recommendation system
• Use own machinery to transport manure to own or neighboring farmers’ land • Pay contractor to transport and spread manure • Contracts with local farmers to receive manures • Transfer production to new region with available landbank • Sell own compost or liquid fraction with adequate labeling • Use a manure recommendation system
Composting factory
• Containment • Optimize aeration style, rate • Use additives to reduce NH3 and GHG emissions
• Sell own compost or liquid fraction with adequate labeling • Use own machinery to transport compost to own or neighboring farmers’ land
Centralized AD plant
• Containment • Cover digestate and feedstock stores
• Sell digestate with adequate labeling • Use own machinery to transport digestate to own or neighboring farmers’ land
Tab.1
Fig.1
Stages of management
Recommendations to improve manure management
Group affected
Enabling stakeholder groups
Stop point source pollution
Contain all manure effluent, i.e., prevent direct discharge of manure to watercourses
Community livestock farms TAFOs CAFOs Composting factories Anaerobic digestion plants
Financiers, via loans or subsidies: provincial government, central government and engineering industry
Reduce gaseous losses (ammonia and greenhouse gases) from point sources, e.g., fit acid scrubbers, biofilters to forced-ventilation animal buildings and composting factories. Cover slurry stores.
Provincial government Central government Commercial laboratories Agriculture Bureau
Generate a market for all fractions of separated manures, e.g., fertigation of high N availability (low P) liquid fraction
TAFOs Community livestock farms CAFOs Composting factories Anaerobic digestion plants
Agriculture Engineering researchers Industry (business opportunities) Agriculture Bureau
Restore nutrient balances—field scale
Develop an integrated manure and fertilizer recommendation system
Fruit farmers Greenhouse vegetable farmers Cropping famers Paddy rice farmers
Nutrient utilization researchers Agriculture Extension Service STB programs
Improve infrastructure for transporting manure to fields
Fruit farmers Greenhouse vegetable farmers Cropping famers Paddy rice farmers
Financiers, via loans or subsidies: provincial government, central government, financial institutions, and engineering industry Small-scale contractors CAFOs Composting factories Anaerobic digestion plants
Improve infrastructure for spreading manure to crops
Fruit farmers Greenhouse vegetable farmers Cropping famers Paddy rice farmers
Financiers, via loans or subsidies: provincial government, central government and engineering industry Small-scale contractors CAFOs Composting factories Anaerobic digestion plants
Village-county scale: Promote transfer of manure from enterprises that generate manure to farmers that can utilize the manure, i.e., promote recoupling of livestock and cropping systems
Community livestock farms CAFOs Composting factories Anaerobic digestion plants Cropping farmers Fruit farmers Greenhouse vegetable farmers Paddy rice farmers
Local planning authorities Provincial government Financiers, via loans or subsidies Engineering Industry Small-scale contractors Agriculture Bureau STB programs Nutrient utilization researchers
Province-national scale: Develop a coordinated approach to nutrient planning through siting new livestock production enterprises in regions with adequate landbank - Link with policies to improve water and air quality - Ensure adequate infrastructure to limit point source pollution in new zones of production
Regional planners Provincial government National government Financers, via loans or subsidies Nutrient utilization researchers
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