Nitrous oxide is an often-overlooked greenhouse gas that primarily comes from agricultural sources. On the latest episode of "Growing Impact," a team of Penn State researchers discusses how their seed grant project aims to address the challenge by developing an innovative system for real-time emissions monitoring and reduction, a step toward more sustainable agricultural practices.
Although nitrous oxide accounts for just 6% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, its primary source is agriculture. With a warming potential nearly 300 times that of carbon dioxide, even small quantities of nitrous oxide can have a dramatic impact on the environment. In 2022, agricultural soil management - including fertilizer use and manure management - was the largest contributor to nitrous oxide emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
"Soil microorganisms release nitrous oxide in tiny amounts during the nitrogen cycle, making it difficult to measure accurately," said Armen Kemanian, professor of plant science and a member of the research team. "Our sensing instrumentation must be highly precise to detect and differentiate nitrous oxide from other gases."
Felipe Montes is an associate research professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and member of the research team. He said nitrous oxide emissions also vary immensely in terms of time and location.
"Our research team is developing a cutting-edge monitoring system to measure nitrous oxide emissions with exceptional precision, both in laboratory and real-world agricultural settings," Montes said. "With this system, we can link microbial processes to mathematical models, improving our ability to quantify and predict nitrous oxide emissions."
Estelle Couradeau, assistant professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management and team member, said she believes there is an opportunity to think broader in terms of how nitrogen is managed.
"We take the nitrogen from the air and make nitrogen fertilizer out of that, but when we put that in the soil, most of the time about half of that doesn't really go to plants for them to grow biomass. It's lost to the environment, creating more pollution downstream," Couradeau said. "We have about doubled the amount of nitrogen that is in circulation in our ecosystem with that process. We are dramatically changing the nitrogen cycle and, as a result, the carbon cycle."
"Growing Impact" is a podcast by the Institute of Energy and the Environment. It features Penn State researchers who have been awarded IEE seed grants and discusses their foundational work as they further their projects. The podcast is available on multiple platforms, including YouTube, Apple, Amazon and Spotify.
