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Modeling the environmental impacts of Asparagopsis as feed, a cow toilet and slurry acidification in two synthetic dairy farms
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, D 15374, Muncheberg, Germany, Eberswalder Straße 84; Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Department of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt University Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany, Berlin.
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, D 15374, Muncheberg, Germany, Eberswalder Straße 84; System Dynamics Group, Department of Geography, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Sustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering. IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Valhallavagen 81, 114 28 Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3014-8930
Department Technology Assessment and Substance Cycles, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) and University of Zielona Gora.
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2024 (English)In: Heliyon, E-ISSN 2405-8440, Vol. 10, no 9, article id e29389Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Intensive dairy farming, particularly enteric fermentation and manure management, is a major contributor to negative impacts on the local and global environment. A wide range of abatement measures has been proposed to reduce livestock-related emissions, yet the individual and combined effects of these innovations are often unknown. In this study, we performed an attributional life cycle assessment of three innovative measures modeled in two synthetic German dairy farm systems: Feeding of the seaweed Asparagopsis, installing an in-house cow toilet system, and performing on-field slurry acidification. These measures were modeled both individually and in combination to account for single and cumulative effects and compared to a reference scenario under current practices. Our results showed that feeding high levels of Asparagopsis and the combination of all three measures were most effective at reducing global warming potential (20–30 %), while only the latter mitigated eutrophication (6–9%) and acidification potential (14–17 %). The cow toilet required additional adapted manure management (separated storage and injection of urine) to effectively reduce eutrophication (8–10 %) and acidification potential (19–23 %) and to decrease global warming potential (3–4%) and abiotic depletion (4–5%). Slurry acidification slightly affected all considered environmental impact categories. All three measures involved trade-offs, either between LCA impact categories (global warming potential vs. abiotic depletion), the location of impacts (off- vs. on-farm), or the emission reduction in individual gases (ammonia vs. nitrous oxide). Measure combinations could compensate for the observed trade-offs. Our study highlights the potential of novel abatement measures but also shows the interdependencies of measures in different stages. This calls for a revisiting of current priorities in funding and legislation, which often focus on single objectives and measures (e.g. ammonia reduction) toward the preferential use of measures that are effective without driving trade-offs or improving resource efficiency.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV , 2024. Vol. 10, no 9, article id e29389
Keywords [en]
Agricultural landscapes, Asparagopsis, Cow toilet, Environmental impacts, Life cycle assessment, Slurry acidification
National Category
Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-346162DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29389Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85191009274OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-346162DiVA, id: diva2:1855947
Note

QC 20240506

Available from: 2024-05-03 Created: 2024-05-03 Last updated: 2024-05-06Bibliographically approved

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Martin, Michael

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