Integrated Optic Sensor for Cropland Ammonia Volatilization Measurement

Conference · Mon Dec 17 23:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6061455

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer accounts for 25 to 33% of the energy requirements in modern crop agriculture in the world today. Energy input for the manufacture of these N fertilizers is in the range of 460 xl0u Btu per year. Unfortunately, for some N sources up to 70% of this energy in the form of NH₃ can be lost through improper application techniques and poor N management strategies. Because it is a gas at atmospheric pressure, anhydrous NH₃ may be lost to the atmosphere during and after placement due to soil conditions and the depth and spacing of placement. Inadequate soil conditions, improper injector settings, and erroneous injection rates enhance this loss. Moreover, urea and urea-ammonium nitrate solution (UAN) are becoming the principal N sources for broadcast as well as placement application in agriculture. These sources are often not incorporated into the soil and may be less efficient sources of N fertilizers because of N loss via gaseous NH₃. Measurement of this volatile N is difficult, especially under field conditions. However, a precise and convenient method of measuring gaseous NH₃ near and above the soil surface is prerequisite to the development and evaluation of alternative fertilizer management strategies and application techniques which can reduce the potential for significant loss. Recent advances in integrated-optic (IO) based sensing offers the potential of measuring low levels of NH₃ loss from a cropping system in the range of 100 ppb. The integrated design of an IO system allows for a more durable device that can be mass produced at low cost. Utilization of this sensor technology may be a feasible approach but must be tested under practical conditions to assess accuracy and reliability. Under a grant from the Office of Industrial Technologies, U. S. Department of Energy, a project has been undertaken to develop an integrated-optic (IO) sensor for monitoring NH₃ evolution from agricultural land. The project is divided into three phases: Phase I: laboratory and bench-scale research for the development of the basic sensor, Phase II: the development and testing of a field prototype, and Phase HI: field evaluation of the device in an agricultural setting.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (USA); Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); Georgia Tech Research Institute
• DOE Contract Number: FC07-88ID12726
• OSTI ID: 6061455
• Report Number(s): EGG-M--90553; CONF-901280--2; ON: DE91010058
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AGRICULTURE
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
AIR POLLUTION MONITORS
AMMONIA
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CROPS
DESIGN
FERTILIZERS
FIELD TESTS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
POLLUTION SOURCES
SOILS
TESTING
VOLATILITY