COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR THE ABATEMENT OF AMMONIA EMISSIONS FROMEUROPEAN AGRICULTURE

Anthropogenic emissions of ammonia, primarily from agriculture, have b een recognised as a significant contributor to overall nitrogen deposi tion in Europe and are being incorporated within the development of a new international protocol on total nitrogen emissions aimed at protec ting natural ecosystems from acidification and eutrophication. In resp onse, the MARACCAS model has been developed to assess the cost-effecti veness of potential abatement measures, mainly relating to the managem ent of livestock wastes, and to assist in the design of efficient abat ement strategies. Results indicate that although maximum feasible redu ctions in emissions are fairly limited, most of the possible abatement can be achieved at relatively low cost. By analysis of the measures w hich consistently produce cost-effective emissions reductions, a set o f guideline measures has been identified which could provide significa nt reductions at costs competitive with those for NOx abatement measur es. Greater inherent uncertainties in the estimation of ammonia emissi ons and abatement potential as compared to NOx, and practical obstacle s to ensuring compliance suggest that a more flexible 'soft' protocol may be more appropriate in tackling ammonia. (C) 1998 Published by Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.