Why Is Acidification Of Slurry A Success Only In Denmark? Transfer Of Environmental Technology Across Boarders

The EU countries are trying to reduce the ammonia emission towards the 2020 and the 2030 targets in the Clean Air agreement. In order to do so, the countries need to implement a range of technologies. 

The Danish ammonia emission has been reduced by 40% from 1980 to 2015, but more is required. Several technologies have been used in the buildings, in the storage and when applying manure. One technology now used widely in Denmark (20% of all slurry) is acidification of slurry where the application of sulphuric acid reduces the ammonia emission. However, the technology has hardly been used in other EU countries. The main reasons for the low uptake in other countries are; the cost level, lack of implementation in local regulation combined with potentially unwanted side effects such as increased phosphorus (P) mobility in soils and surplus sulphur (S) fertilisation, as well as, uncertainty about safety.

For a technology to be accepted in a “non-native” country, national farm scale tests are required as the technology acceptance. It is shown that regulatory requirements help companies producing these technologies and without these requirements the companies might struggle financially as the demand for new technologies is low.

Keywords:  Acidification, costs, ammonia emission, technology transfer, regulation