Seasonal and diel variations of ammonia and methane emissions from a naturally ventilated dairy building and the associated factors influencing emissions

Understanding seasonal and diel variations of ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) emissions from a naturally ventilated dairy (NVD) building may lead to develop successful control strategies for reducing emissions throughout the year. The main objective of this study was to quantify seasonal and diel variations of NH3 and CH4 emissions together with associated factors influencing emissions. Measurements were carried out with identical experimental set-up to cover three winter, spring and summer seasons, and two autumn seasons in the years 2010, 2011, and 2012. The data from 2010 and 2011 were used for developing emission prediction models and the data from 2012 were used for model validation. The results showed that NH3 emission varied seasonally following outside temperature whereas CH4 emission did not show clear seasonal trend. Diel variation of CH4 emission was less pronounced than NH3. The average NH3 and CH4 emissions between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. were 66% and 33% higher than the average NH3 and CH4 emissions between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., respectively for all seasons. The significant relationships (P < 0.0001) between NH3 and influencing factors were found including outside temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, hour of the day and day of the year. The significant effect (P < 0.0001) of climate factors, hours of the day and days of the year on CH4 emission might be directly related to activities of the cows.