Sulfate Additives Cut Methane Emissions More Effectively at Lower Liquid Manure Storage Temperatures

Reducing methane (CH4) emissions from dairy farms is a key objective in limiting total greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock industry. Reducing CH4 emissions from manure storage using additives may provide an achievable near-term contribution to this long-term goal in alignment with the International Dairy Federation’s initiative on pathways to net zero. Sulfate-based H2SO4 and the sulfate-containing nonacid CaSO4 have effectively suppressed methane emissions in lab studies at a single temperature. The present study analyzes the effect of temperature on the efficacy of these two additives, bridging the gap between common laboratory conditions and average on-farm temperature. We found superior cumulative suppression, higher peak suppression, and longer duration of high-end suppression at lower temperatures when comparing controls to additive experiments at 24, 21, and 18 °C over 120 days. Peak mitigation increased as temperature decreased, culminating at 82.9% and 57.6% for H2SO4 and CaSO4, respectively, at 18 °C. Additives remained effective for longer at lower temperatures, with H2SO4 maintaining ≥70% peak mitigation (PM) for 102 days at 18 °C, but only 48 days at 24 °C; CaSO4 retained ≥70% PM for 87 days at 18 °C, but only 38 days at 24 °C. PM for each additive occurs at similar thermal times, despite appearing different at conventional times. Our analysis creates a link between the efficacy of CH4 mitigation and local temperatures, which can be related to cumulative heat (thermal time/degree-days) to establish site-specific guidance for CH4 mitigation protocols.