Environmentally Efficient Technologies in agriculture
Background for use of environmental technologies in agriculture
The maintenance or expansion of the agricultural production in Denmark depends on the balance between the production and the environmental standard of the society, and an improvement of the environmental image of the agricultural sector. Therefore there is an increased interest from agriculture and society to use environmentally efficient technologies that reduces the effects of the agricultural productions on the surrounding environment. Agricultural industries have focused interest in a strengthening research and innovation in the area, because it will brand Danish food industry and support a national and international marketing of environmental efficient technologies. The condition for success is constructive and positive collaboration between research, the agricultural sector and industries for the purpose of integrating technologies in sustainable solutions.
The aim of Environmentally Efficient Technologies in agriculture
An agricultural production at the same level as now or even large calls for both an increase in efficiency and a reduction of environmental nuisances at production. Environmentally Efficient Technologies can contribute to reduce the usage of pesticides and optimise the utilization of the animal manure and minimize the production and emission of odour, ammonia and green house gasses from animal productions. It is necessary to integrate possible technologies that affect the different elements in the entire chain from crop to animal feed, nutrition, health, environment and economy. Environmental efficient technology offers solutions to redress the negative impacts of the surroundings in the agricultural production to the advantage of the sector, the animals, the environment and the neighbours. At the same time the technologies will support the continued development of Denmark as a pioneer in the agricultural production and the use of environmental technologies for the purpose of achieving economic and environmental sustainability.
Following projects within The Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS) has an environmentally efficient technology focus well-founded on different core disciplines from crop husbandry through animal science to design of livestock buildings and management of animal manure. Through a combination of and in interaction with industry, companies and other research and innovation environments there is a solid scientific basis that can ensure a sustainable development of the agricultural production system.
Projects in Environmentally Efficient Technologies in agriculture
Absorption in water droplets of odours, ammonia and dust from livestock buildings (Farm wet scrubber)
Odour, ammonia and dust emissions from livestock buildings are a problem that neighbours to pig farms and the society in general wants solved in the coming years. It is estimated that 90 % of the Danish pig and poultry farms are mechanically ventilated. The project therefore suggests a new concept for a farm wet scrubber that is composed of two separate units: an absorption column and a water purification unit.
Partners: Hisamitsu Takai, Preben J. Dahl, Iver Lund, Peter Kai and Hans Benny Rom (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Thomas Condra (Aalborg University), Jens Jørgen Lønsmann Iversen and Morten Øgendahl (University of Southern Denmark), Preben Stæhr, (Turbovent A/S), Kasper K. Christensen (SOLUM A/S), Børge Mortensen (The National Committee for Pig Production)
Financing: Danish Research Agency/The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Timeframe: 2002-2006
More information: www.luftvasker.dk
Alternative additives for fuel or combustion chamber in biomass fuel kettles
In the context of biomass fuel kettles problems with coating and corrosion in the kettle often arises. One solution could be the use of different additives to the fuel or in the combustion chamber. In the project the possibility of using cheap alternative additives in the form of various residual products like e.g. mash, separated manure (humus), and fly ash is examined.
Partners: Henrik B. Møller (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Energi E2, Risø National Laboratory, Reatech and GEUS.
Financing: Public Service Obligations - Danish Energy Authority
Timeframe: 2004-2006
Responsible: Henrik B. Møller
The use of straw in biogas plants and the possibilities of increased energy use
The use of straw in biogas plants can help reduce or in best case completely remove the economic dependence of the addition of waste in biogas plants. There are however a number of unclarified issues in the connection to the use of straw in biogas plants including sufficient safety and predictability regarding the yield, so that the results are able to be used as a basis for investment in biogas plants in the future.
Partners: Henrik B. Møller (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering)
Financing: Danish Energy Authority
Timeframe: 2004-2005
Responsible: Henrik B. Møller
Precision management of biogas plant
The project will develop management and design of biogas plants regarding the optimisation of the biogas production by investigation of full-scale reactors under controlled conditions. Pre- and post treatment technologies is integrated in the plants, and management and design of the plant is developed with the goal of an optimal gas production.
Partners: Sven G. Sommer and Henrik B. Møller (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Henning S. Jensen (University of Southern Denmark)
Financing: Danish Energy Authority
Timeframe: 2005-2008
Responsible: Sven G. Sommer
The future common biogas system – concepts and economy
The future biogas plants are expected to be far more based on animal manure as a raw material than the present plants are. At the same time the plants must help ensure an appropriate management of nutrients from the manure, so that there is not an unbalance between e.g. phosphorus and nitrogen. The separation of manure can help solve the manure problem, as the main part of the phosphorus will follow the solid fraction, while the main part of the nitrogen will be in the liquid fraction.
Partners: Henrik B. Møller (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Danish Research Institute of Food Economics, Technical University of Denmark, Danish institute for Food and Veterinary Research and Danish Agricultural Advisory Service.
Financing: Danish Energy Authority
Timeframe: 2004-2007
Responsible: Henrik B. Møller
Improving phosphorus utilisation in Danish agriculture – from digestibility to loss
Manure separation is presumed to be one of the methods to rectify the P-problems in areas with intensive livestock production. It is expected that separation of manure is influenced by changes in the feed. Therefore the project will conduct research in the effects of changed feeding strategies on the particle size and sedimentation in manure from pigs and cattle feed after different P-strategies. Moreover the separation effect by treatment of new low P-manure types will be decided, to evaluate if the animal feed will affect the effect of separation. The produced manure fractions will enter into an investigation of low-P manure’s quality and potential P-mobility.
Partners: Hanne Damgaard Poulsen, Jakob Sehested, and Nuria Canibe (DIAS, Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition), Goswin Heckrath and Gitte Holton Rubæk (DIAS, Department of Agroecology), Sven G. Sommer and Henrik B. Møller (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering)
Financing: Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business, The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Timeframe: 2003-2006
Responsible: Hanne Damsgaard Poulsen
Intelligent Sensor for Autonomous Cleaning in livestock buildings (ISAC)
Manual cleaning of livestock buildings, using high-pressure water technology, is one of the most tedious and health threatening tasks which is conducted by human labour. The cleaning process itself contributes to deterioration of the working environment due to stirring up dirt, micro organisms and water, which is inhaled by the operator. Consequently, the working conditions for personnel who are performing today’s cleaning of livestock buildings are essential to solve. Societies concerned about food safety and livestock welfare are other essential issues on modern farmers’ agenda in the meet production.
Partners: Guo-Qiang Zhang, Jan S. Strøm, Hans Benny Rom and Morten Levring (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Mogens Blanke and Nils Andersen (Ørsted, DTU), Finn Conrad (MEK, DTU), Rasmus Larsen (IMM, DTU), Niels Peder Nielsen and Merete Lyngbye (The National Committee for Pig Production), ALTO Danmark A/S and GERNI A/S
Financing: Danish Research Agency/Extern financing/ Self-financing activities
Timeframe: 2002-2006
Operational models for ammonia emission and distribution from livestock keeping
Agriculture is the primary source of ammonia in the atmosphere. The main part of the agricultural emission of ammonia originates from animal production that is livestock buildings, manure storage and from application of manure. Ammonia is a pollution component that results in nutrient enrichment of natural systems, which only can exist at low nitrogen load, and ammonia transforms in the atmosphere and contributes to the nitrogen supply to the ocean.
Partners: Sven G. Sommer and Svend Morsing (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Nicholas J. Hutchings (DIAS, Department of Agroecolgy), Per Løfstrøm, Thomas Ellermann, Helle Vibeke Andersen, Lise M. Frohn, Steen Gyldenkærne and Jesper Bak (DMU), Niels Lundgård and Arne Grønkjær Hansen (Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, The National Centre), Poul Pedersen (The National Committee for Pig Production)
Financing: Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business, The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Timeframe: 2004-2005
Responsible: Sven G. Sommer
Real time modelling, monitoring and management of ammonia emission from livestock buildings
The main objective is to develop a real time decision support model and monitoring system for ammonia emission from animal buildings that sustain efficient ways of ammonia conservation by optimised management of the production system.
Partners: Bjarne Bjerg, André Chwalibog, Anne-Helene Tauson and Jørgen Pedersen (KVL/RVAU), Svend Morsing, Hans Benny Rom and Lis Jacobsen (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering)
Financing: Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business, The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Timeframe: 2003-2006
Pigsty with source separation and optimised storage of liquid and solid manure
In the last 20-30 years you have, in the process of establishing livestock production facilities, gone from constructions with solid floor to constructions where at least a part of the floor is designed as slatted floor. A modern pig production facility can e.g. be formed so that the manure is collected in the room under the pens, wherefrom it is let out periodically. This development has given significant work reduction but has at the same time meant that the former system with separation of animal manure in liquid and solid fractions has been replaced by systems where all fractions are handled as one mixed product, manure.
Partners: Sven G. Sommer (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Perstrup Beton Industri A/S, Skiold Mullerup A/S, The National Committee for Pig Production, Danish Agricultural Advisory Service| Building and Technique, Agri Contact
Financing: Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business, The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Timeframe: 2004-2006
Responsible: Sven G. Sommer
Technologies for reduction of environmental effects and nitrogen loss from animal manure
Storage and handling of animal manure entails significant environmental effects in the form of emission of ammonia, greenhouse gasses and odour. The gasses are produced in the animal manure through abiotic and biotic processes under the storage, and are emitted from the animal manure surface during storage and handling of the manure. The handling of animal manure therefore has significant influence on the amount and types of gasses produced in the manure, and also on how much is lost to the surroundings. Choice of technology for handling the animal manure is therefore crucial in the attempt to limit the environmental effects and loss from animal manure.
Partners: Martin Nørregaard Hansen, Sven G. Sommer, Merete Maahn, Marie H. Kaadt and Karsten Sørensen (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering)
Financing: FØJO/ Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business/Self-financing activities
Timeframe: 2002-2005
Responsible: Martin Nørregaard Hansen
Development of manure treatment technology concepts for the reduction of environmental impacts and optimisation of fertilizer value of animal manure
New technologies for the treatment of manure is expected to solve a number of the environmental problems connected to the use of animal manure. Manure separation can contribute to harmony between the need of the crop and the livestock production, and to a more precise use of nutrients by export from areas with large livestock productions to areas with less livestock production.
Partners: Sven G. Sommer, Henrik B. Møller, Tavs Nyord and Maibritt Hjorth (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Peter Sørensen and Søren O. Petersen (DIAS, Department of Agroecology), Jørgen Hinde and Torkild Birkmose (Danish Agricultural Advisory Service)
Financing: Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business, The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Timeframe: 2004-2005
Responsible: Sven G. Sommer
Odour from Animal Production
Odour annoyance in animal production and the handling of animal manure is an increasing problem that neighbours and the society in general wishes solved in the coming years. It calls for an extraordinary effort from the agricultural sector, the research institutes and the companies, as knowledge and possible technologies are limited, untested and economic unrealistic at this stage. This is due to the fact that odour from animal production facilities is a mixture of many odour compounds, and partly that the annoyance is dependent on the interaction between odour sources, climate and livestock building, feeding and management, manure system as weel as physical and chemical factors.
Partners: Svend Christensen, Hisamitsu Takai, Peter Kai, Martin Nørregaard Hansen, Svend Morsing and Hans Benny Rom (DIAS, Department of Agricultural Engineering), Niels Henrik Bastholm, Per Løfstrøm, Thomas Ellermann, Lise M. Frohn, S.C. Rastogi, Steen Gyldenkærne and Pernille Kaltoft (National Environmental Research Institute), Merete Lyngbye and Poul Pedersen (The National Committee for Pig Production), Helle Birk Domino and Arne Grønkjær Hansen (Danish Agricultural Advisory Service)
Financing: Directorate for Food, Fisheries, and Agri Business
Timeframe: 2004-2005
Responsible: Svend Christensen