UK study shows lower GHG emissions from biofuels production

The results of a major UK research project show greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to nitrogen fertiliser use on UK arable land to be less than half the level previously estimated.

The results are good news for the UK biofuels industry, as the project also confirmed that sourcing of nitrogen fertilisers from production facilities which are modified to abate nitrous oxide makes a substantial reduction in the GHG footprint of the final marketed product.

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is an important GHG, contributing 41% of agriculture’s GHG emissions.

The five-year Minimising Nitrous Oxide (MIN-NO) research was conducted through a consortium of 23 government, academic, farming, and commercial partners with interests in the future sustainability of the biofuel, food, and feed supply chain.

Following intensive three-year field-based experiments and industry data from commercial farms, researchers used models to estimate a national a picture of emissions due to major UK arable crops and their products.

Previously, predicted levels of nitrous oxide from soil were 1% per unit of nitrogen applied – average MIN-NO estimates for UK arable land are 0.46% of N applied.