Magellan mats reduce ammonia emissions
Due to their draining design, Magellan mats facilitate the rapid removal of urine. This reduces urine/feces contact, which is the source of ammonia emissions. According to a study by the independent Dutch laboratory Meet ID, a barn equipped with Magellan mats will emit 42% less ammonia than with slatted floors.
Ammonia is a nitrogenous compound that is very present in our environment, and public authorities want to reduce its emissions. Primarily for our health, as ammonia is an irritating gas. By recombining with other molecules, it is a precursor to microparticles. Environmentally, ammonia emissions also have an unfavorable impact as they lead to air acidification and eutrophication of the environment.
In France, 94% of ammonia emissions come from the agricultural sector, with 43% from cattle farming alone. The waste management chain is mainly responsible, as ammonia forms when urine and feces come into contact.
42% reduction in ammonia emissions
For the agricultural sector, in addition to the health and environmental benefits, reducing ammonia emissions also has an economic interest, as the nitrogen transformed into ammonia represents lost units for fertilization.
With its draining design, the Magellan mat is a response to the reduction of ammonia emissions. The slope and grooves of the mat promote the rapid elimination of urine between scrapings, which, combined with lower humidity, reduces ammonia emissions.
The independent Dutch laboratory Meet ID specializes in measuring gas emissions and certifying innovations for emission reduction in the livestock sector. To quantify the emission reduction allowed by Magellan mats, the Meet ID laboratory compared, according to a scientific protocol, ammonia emissions on slatted floors and on Magellan mats. Initially, the presence of residual urine was measured. It is 0.74 mm on floors with slatted floors, while it is only 0.35 mm on floors equipped with Magellan mats. The Meet ID laboratory also evaluated ammonia emissions. They are 14.3 kg NH3/animal/year on a slatted floor. In a barn equipped with Magellan mats, they are only 8.4 kg/animal/year. This represents a reduction of nearly 42% on the Magellan mat compared to a conventional slatted floor.
Based on emissions of 13 kg NH3/cow/year traditionally accepted as a rejection standard in the Netherlands, the installation of Magellan mats would reduce these emissions by between 6.8 and 7.5 kg depending on the cleaning systems.
These results have made it possible to approve Magellan mats for environmental protection in four European countries: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Approval applications are pending in Denmark, Switzerland and Austria.
Calculating ammonia emissions as accurately as possible
The Meet ID laboratory calculated the cumulative ammonia emissions according to the different types of flooring. The percentage reduction is determined on the cumulative emissions over the 14 hours following spraying with urine. This period corresponds to the average time before a specific location in the barn receives urination again.
The cumulative ammonia emissions over 14 hours are used to evaluate the emission potential, based on an area of 4.5 m² per cow. The emission potential is calculated by cumulating the emissions in 14 hours * 24h/14 * 365 days / (floor area / 4.5 m2 * 1000).
