Methane conversion factors from cattle manure in México

Abstract

Methane emission factors from different cattle manure management systems including simulated slurry system fermentation were experimentally determined in this and a previous study (González-Avalos and Ruiz-Suárez, 2001). Combining results from both studies, we report values for maximum CH₄ yield, called B₀, for manure produced by cattle under different production systems and climates, which also implies different quality of feeds and associated methane conversion factors (MCF) for distinct manure management systems. This set of data has the same functionality than that of the current IPCC methodology, but offer a wider set of key parameters to estimate methane emissions from manure, which may be of interest in other countries. In this work, we report MCF can be up to 17.3 times smaller than those suggested in the 1996 Revised IPCC Methodology Guidelines (IPCC, 1997) and Good Practice Guidance (IPCC, 2000).