B21H-0176:
Quantifying nitrogen and carbon emissions from large-scale cattle feeding operations through the use of a mobile measurement platform.

Tuesday, 16 December 2014
Cody R Floerchinger1, Edward Fortner1, Bill Brooks1, Jody Wormhoult1, Paola Massoli1, John B Nowak1, Joseph R Roscioli1, Mike Agnese1, Jay M Ham2, Walter B Knighton3, Daniel Bon4 and Scott C. Herndon1, (1)Aerodyne Research Inc., Billerica, MA, United States, (2)Colorado State University, plant sciences, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (3)Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States, (4)The State of Colorado, Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, United States
Abstract:
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO's) are believed to contribute a significant fraction of reactive nitrogen to the ecosystem in Rocky Mountain National Park through regional transport and deposition of biogenic ammonia and associated particle nitrate, at the same time acting as large contributors to the regional methane budget. These operations were characterized by the Aerodyne Mobile Laboratory as a part of the FRAPPE field study 2014 with the focus of understanding the emission, transmission, and subsequent evolution of the CAFO biogenic airmass. Using Quantum Cascade Laser - Tunable Infrared Laser Differential Absorption Spectrometers (QCL-TILDAS) we measured ammonia, a hydrolysis product of NH4+ found in urine and feces, and methane, a product of both enteric fermentation occurring in the rumen and methanogenic bacterial colonies found in feces. Using a High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-TOF-AMS) we also quantified inorganic nitrate aerosol, a secondary aerosol product generated through the reaction of primary ammonia with nitric acid. The results are presented and compared to other methods.