Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2025
Authors
Alouette van Hove Kristoffer Aalstad Vibeke Lind Claudia Arndt Vincent Odongo Rodolfo Ceriani Francesco Fava John Hulth Norbert PirkAbstract
Considerable uncertainties and unknowns remain in the regional mapping of methane sources, especially in the extensive agricultural areas of Africa. To address this issue, we developed an observing system that estimates methane emission rates by assimilating drone and flux tower observations into an atmospheric dispersion model. We used our novel Bayesian inference approach to estimate emissions from various ruminant livestock species in Kenya, including diverse herds of cattle, goats, and sheep, as well as camels, for which methane emission estimates are particularly sparse. Our Bayesian estimates aligned with Tier 2 emission values of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In addition, we observed the hypothesized increase in methane emissions after feeding. Our findings suggest that the Bayesian inference method is more robust under non-stationary wind conditions compared to a conventional mass balance approach using drone observations. Furthermore, the Bayesian inference method performed better in quantifying emissions from weaker sources, estimating methane emission rates as low as 100 g h−1. We found a ± 50 % uncertainty in emission rate estimates for these weaker sources, such as sheep and goat herds, which reduced to ± 12 % for stronger sources, like cattle herds emitting 1000–1500 g h−1. Finally, we showed that radiance anomalies identified in hyperspectral satellite data can inform the planning of flight paths for targeted drone missions in areas where source locations are unknown, as these anomalies may serve as indicators of potential methane sources. These promising results demonstrate the efficacy of the Bayesian inference method for source term estimation. Future applications of drone-based Bayesian inference could extend to estimating methane emissions in Africa and other regions from various sources with complex spatiotemporal emission patterns, such as wetlands, landfills, and wastewater disposal sites. The Bayesian observing system could thereby contribute to the improvement of emission inventories and verification of other emission estimation methods.
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Authors
Ghulam Qasim Khan Dejan Dragan Miladinovic Puchun Niu Eddy Weurding Jos van Hees Martha Irene Grøseth Egil PrestløkkenAbstract
This article synthesizes evidence on how screw-extrusion followed by pelleting can tailor compound feeds to improve nutrient use in ruminants. Extrusion can produce pellets with targeted density and fluid stability by altering starch gelatinization, protein functionality, and fiber structure, potentially shifting rumen degradation kinetics and nutrient flow to the intestine. This article identifies extruder settings needed to achieve the desired pellet density and fluid stability for rumen control, and defines and evaluates ruminant-specific physical properties of extruded feed pellets.
Abstract
European livestock sectors rely heavily on imported protein feeds, presenting challenges regarding sustainability and supply security. Green biorefineries (GBR) represent a local alternative where protein concentrates are extracted from grassland crops, but the environmental performance of these systems depends on feedstock cultivation practices. This study combined field trials and life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify how nitrogen (N) fertilization rates, clover inclusion rates, and feedstock management (fresh vs. ensiled) affect dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) biomass yields, as well as subsequent climate impact, and agricultural land use of GBR products. The results reveal that N fertilization during cultivation of feedstock biomass plays a critical role in the climate impact of green biorefining, and that including legumes enhances GBR sustainability. Increasing N fertilization from 0 to 240 kg N ha−1 in red clover–grass swards increased DM and CP biomass yields but also increased soil N₂O emissions and upstream fertilizer burdens. Under no N fertilizer treatment, biological N fixation supported high yields, resulting in the lowest net climate footprint in the ensuing LCA of the GBR process. However, this treatment also required around 60 % more land than the high N treatment. Processing ensiled feedstock further reduced the climate impact compared to fresh biomass by retaining more CP in the liquid fraction and eliminating several biorefinery steps. However, this benefit in this case was linked to the use of the liquid phase rather than ensiling itself, and similar outcomes could be achieved with fresh biomass if processed accordingly and used immediately after production. Future work must expand system boundaries to include transport, storage, and animal-feeding stages, and develop farm-level strategies that align GBR practices with regional conditions.
Authors
Quentin Lardy Haldis Kismul Shelemia Nyamuryekung'e Jorid Sandvik Mårten Hetta Mohammad Ramin Vibeke LindAbstract
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Authors
Vibeke LindAbstract
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Authors
Shaohui Zhang Poul Erik Lærke Mathias Neumann Andersen Junxiang Peng Esben Øster Mortensen Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Pullens Sheng Wang Klaus Steenberg Larsen Davide Cammarano Uffe Jørgensen Kiril ManevskiAbstract
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Authors
Åsa Maria Olofsdotter Espmark Endre Grimsbø Tor-Atle Mo Kristin Opdal Seljetun Sonal Jayesh Patel Espen Rimstad Marco Antonio Vindas Erik Georg Granquist Grete H. M. Jørgensen Janicke Nordgreen Ingrid Olesen Sokratis Ptochos Amin SayyariAbstract
No abstract has been registered