Our three most important current research areas are summarized below.
- Ammonia emission from animal manure and mineral fertilizer.
Ammonia is an important atmospheric pollutant, and manure management is the single largest source in most countries. A better understanding of the magnitude of emissions and emission processes is needed to develop effective approaches for addressing this problem. We have provided access to measurements of emission from more than 1800 field plots throughout Europe and North America by development of an open database. Additionally, we developed the new "ALFAM2 model", which is a simple decision-support tool for estimating emission and the effects of management and environment. Data and software are available through www.alfam.dk. We are also involved in emission measurement, in collaboration with the Low Emission Technology Group.
- Methane emission from stored animal manure.
Manure management is also a significant source of greenhouse gas, including methane and nitrous oxide. Management practices can substantially reduce methane emission, and we are developing models that can be used to optimize management. - Anaerobic digestion for waste treatment and energy recovery.
Anaerobic digestion and biogas production is a popular technology in Europe and elsewhere, but it is not utilized to its full potential. We have developed software that can improve both research and plant management (see https://www.researchgate.net/project/Biogas-Software). And we are developing simple biogas measurement methods that address problems with both accuracy and accessibility (see https://www.researchgate.net/project/Better-BMP-B-BMP).
