Division 4.5 Techniques for reducing emissions from the storage of solid manure

United Kingdom

Technique	Description
Store dried solid manure in a barn.	The barn is usually a simple construction with an impermeable floor and a roof, with sufficient ventilation to avoid anaerobic conditions and an access door for transport. Dried poultry manure (e.g. litter from broilers and laying hens, air-dried laying hen excreta collected on belts) is transported by belts or front-end loaders from the poultry house to the barn where it can be stored for a long period of time without the risk of remoistening.
Use a concrete silo for storage.	A foundation slab of water-impermeable concrete that can be combined with walls on three sides and with a cover e.g. roofing over the manure platform, UV-stabilised plastic, etc. The floor is sloped (e.g. 2 %) towards a front drain gutter. Liquid fractions and any run-off caused by rainfall are collected in a leak-tight concrete pit and handled afterwards.
Store solid manure on solid impermeable floor equipped with a drainage system and a collection tank for run-off.	The storage is equipped with a solid impermeable floor, a drainage system such as drains, and connected to a tank for collection of liquid fractions and any run-off caused by rainfall.
Select a storage facility with a sufficient capacity to hold the manure during periods in which landspreading is not possible.	The periods when manure landspreading is allowed depend on the local climatic conditions and legislation, etc.; thus, requiring a storage area with a suitable capacity. The available capacity also allows the landspreading time to be aligned to the nitrogen requirements of the crops.
Store solid manure in field heaps placed away from surface and/or underground watercourses which liquid run-off might enter.	Solid manure is stacked directly on the soil in the field prior to landspreading over a limited period of time (e.g. for a few days or several weeks). The storage location is changed at least every year and situated as far as possible from surface and groundwater.
Reduce the ratio between the emitting surface area and volume of the manure heap.	Manure can be compacted or a three-sided wall store can be used.
Cover solid manure heaps.	Materials such as UV-stabilised plastic covers, peat, sawdust, or wood chips can be used. Tight covers decrease air exchange and aerobic decomposition in the manure heap, resulting in a reduction of emissions to air.