Estimation of interannual trends of ammonia emissions from agriculture in Jiangsu Province from 2000 to 2017

ABSTRACT

As the only alkaline gas in the atmosphere, ammonia could react with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides to form the secondary particles. A large amount of NH₃ in the atmosphere accelerates the rate of formation of fine particles; it therefore plays an important role in haze pollution. Livestock and poultry farming and nitrogen fertilizer application are the two main NH₃ emission sources. Jiangsu Province contributes the largest proportion of NH₃ emissions from agriculture in key areas of national air pollution control in China. The aims of this study are to investigate NH₃ emissions from agriculture in Jiangsu Province using the emissions factor method, and analyze and summarize the characteristics and trends of NH₃ emissions from 2000 to 2017. Results show that the NH₃ emissions from agriculture in Jiangsu Province from 2000 to 2017 were mainly contributed by livestock and poultry farming (78.08%) and nitrogen fertilizer application (21.92%). Furthermore, a general fluctuation trend of an initial decrease and then an increase, of NH₃ emissions from agriculture, could be found from 2000 to 2012, with minimum NH₃ emissions in 2007 (708.76 kt yr⁻¹) and maximum emissions in 2012 (837.64 kt yr⁻¹); and then a decreasing trend was apparent from 2012 (837.64 kt yr⁻¹) to 2017 (690.64 kt yr⁻¹). A detailed estimation of the interannual trends and potential measures are also proposed. This study provides a solid theoretical foundation for the development of NH₃ emissions control in Jiangsu Province.

Graphical abstract

摘要

氨气是大气中的微量碱性气体, 可以与酸性气体二氧化硫和氮氧化物的氧化产物发生化学反应, 生成硫酸铵和硝酸铵等二次颗粒物。大量氨存在会加速细颗粒物的生成速率, 在霾污染的形成过程中具有重要作用。畜禽养殖和氮肥施用是氨排放清单中最主要的两个排放源。江苏省农业源氨排放量居于国家大气污染防治重点区域各省市第一。本文利用排放因子法对2000–2017年江苏省农业源氨排放进行了估算, 研究江苏省18年来氨排放的特征及变化趋势。结果表明, 2000–2017年江苏省农业源氨排放平均78.08%来源于畜禽养殖, 21.92%来源于氮肥施用, 并且排放趋势呈现波动式变化。2000–2012年氨排放呈现先降低后增加的趋势, 2007年出现最小氨排放为708.76 kt yr⁻¹, 2012年出现最大氨排放为837.64 kt yr⁻¹。2012–2017年呈现下降趋势, 2017年农业源氨排放为690.64 kt yr⁻¹。本文对年际变化趋势进行了详细的估计, 并提出了可能的应对措施, 将为江苏省开展氨气排放控制提供科学基础。

KEYWORDS:

• Agricultural source
• ammonia emissions
• livestock and poultry farming
• nitrogen fertilizer application

关键词:

• 农业源
• 氨气排放
• 畜禽养殖
• 氮肥施用

Disclosure statement

No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

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Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 41771291 and 21806080], the Jiangsu Specially-Appointed Professor Program, the Six Talent Peaks Project in Jiangsu Province [grant number NY-083], the Startup Foundation for Introducing Talent of NUIST, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students in Jiangsu Province.