Organic residues valorisation by fertilisation: Coupling models to assess the impacts of spreader performances on nitrogenous emissions and related environmental impacts

Overview & Synopsis

This paper proposes a generic methodological framework to investigate the link between application technique performances and related nitrogen emissions in the field. Our approach is to couple biophysical models (of N emissions) and models used to assess machinery technological performances related to distribution, application rate efficiency and soil compaction through a four-step method. We highlighted that nitrate emissions cannot be directly linked to spreader distribution deficiencies but are more dependent on weather and soil conditions. On the contrary, ammonia volatilization can be directly linked to the type of spreading operation, especially for liquid sewage sludge. Nitrous oxide emissions are linked to the spreader weight as well as the weather and soil conditions. The methodological framework introduced in this paper highlights the feasibility of coupling real technological performances of spreaders and simulation models to assess the environmental impact of spreading practices.