Short-term nitrous oxide emissions from pasture soil as influenced by urea level and soil nitrate

Nitrogen excreted by cattle during grazing is a significant source of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O). The regulation of N2O emissions is not well understood, but may vary with urine composition and soil conditions. This laboratory study was undertaken to describe short-term effects on N2O emissions and soil conditions, including microbial dynamics, of urea amendment at two different rates (22 and 43 g N m-2). The lower urea concentration was also combined with an elevated soil NO3- concentration. Urea solutions labelled with 25 atom% 15N were added to the surface of repacked pasture soil cores and incubated for 1, 3, 6 or 9 days under constant conditions (60% WFPS, 14°C). Soil inorganic N (NH4+, NO2- and NO3-), pH, electrical conductivity and dissolved organic C were quantified. Microbial dynamics were followed by measurements of CO2 evolution, by analyses of membrane lipid (PLFA) composition, and by measurement of potential ammonium oxidation and denitrifying enzyme activity. The total recovery of 15N averaged 84%. Conversion of urea-N to NO3- was evident, but nitrification was delayed at the highest urea concentration and was accompanied by an accumulation of NO2-. Nitrous oxide emissions were also delayed at the highest urea amendment level, but accelerated towards the end of the study. The pH interacted with NH4+ to produce inhibitory concentrations of NH3(aq) at the highest urea concentration, and there was evidence for transient negative effects of urea amendment on both nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in this treatment. However, PLFA dynamics indicated that initial inhibitory effects were replaced by increased microbial activity and net growth. It is concluded that urea-N level has qualitative, as well as quantitative effects on soil N transformations in urine patches

Effect of Urea and Distillers Inclusion in Dry- Rolled Corn Based Diets on Heifer Performance and Carcass Characteristics

Crossbred heifers (n=96, BW = 810 ± 20) were utilized to evaluate the effects of increasing wet distillers grains plus solubles and urea inclusion in a dry rolled corn based finishing diet on performance and carcass characteristics. Heifers were individually fed using a calan gate system with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors included distillers inclusion at either 10 or 20% of diet DM and urea inclusion at either 0.2 or 1.4% of diet DM. Th ere was no difference for final body weight, average daily gain, and feed conversion on a live or carcass adjusted basis for either urea or distillers inclusion in the diet. Dry matter intake was reduced with increased urea inclusion; however, distillers inclusion did not influence intake. Added distillers and urea in the diet had minimal impact on performance suggesting supplemental urea in a dry rolled corn based finishing diets is of minimal benefit when feeding at least 10% distillers grains

Reduction of nitrogen oxides by injection of urea in the freeboard of a pilot scale fluidized bed combustor

The ‘thermal deNOx’ process using urea has been investigated in a 1 MW fluidized bed combustor. NOx reductions of up to 76% were obtainable by using this method. The experimental results show that urea is at least as active as NH3, which is commonly used in this application, but which is far more toxic and corrosive. Emission levels of 200 mg m−3 for NOx could be achieved by injecting the urea at a height of 2 m above the distribution plate in a molar ratio urea:NOx = 1.5. The SO2 emission value also appeared to be reduced when the urea was injected at a urea: NOx molar ratio > 4

The competitive inhibition of of the urease-catalyzed hydrolysis of urea by phosphate

The urease-catalyzed hydrolysis of urea has been found to be competitively inhibited by phosphate at pH 7.0 and 25°. The Michaelis constant of the urea-urease system has been found to be approximately 0.003 M urea and the comparable constant defining the phosphate-urease system 0.035 M phosphate

A direct urea fuel cell - power from fertiliser and waste

For the first time, a working direct urea and direct urine fuel cell has been developed to generate electricity directly from urea or urine

Hydrogen bond based noncovalent association in the semi-fluorous solvent perfluorobutyl-methyl ether: Host-host and host-guest association of the host 1-(3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-Heptadecafluoro-decyl)-3-pyridin-2-yl-urea

A fluorous pyridyl-urea, 1-(3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-heptadecafluoro-decyl)-3-pyridin-2-yl-urea, was prepared to act as a host and analyzed by 1H NMR inCD2Cl2 and perfluorobutyl-methyl ether (HFE7100). Crystals were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The host molecules were found to form pillar-like structures in the crystal. There is an intramolecular bond between the pyridyl nitrogen and one urea hydrogen. 1H NMR spectra demonstrated that the urea hydrogens’ positions shift as the concentration of the host changes. The dependence of the shifts on concentration are consistent with the formation of a trimer of hosts with a logKeq for formation of trimer from monomer approximately 6. Association of the host with guests octanoic acid, ethyl acetate, N-ethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and acetone, was analyzed by titration of the host with individual guests in HFE7100 solvent. Downfield or upfield shifts of the urea hydrogens were used to indicate hydrogen bond formation with the guest. Acetone and ethyl acetate were unable to overcome the self-association of the host and form host-guest complexes. Octanoic acid binding caused shifts in the 1H NMR spectra of one hydrogen of the urea group. N-ethylacetamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide induced shifts in both urea hydrogens. The results indicate that the host monomer’s favored conformation contains an intramolecular hydrogen bond. This bond is not broken upon association with octanoic acid, but it is broken upon association with the two acetamides

The electrophoresis of transferrins in urea/polyacrylamide gels

The denaturation of transferrin by urea has been studied by (a) electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels incorporating a urea gradient, (b) measurements of the loss in iron-binding capacity and (c) u.v. difference spectrometry. In human serum transferrin and hen ovotransferrin the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of the iron-free protein were found to denature at different urea concentrations

Influence of ruminal degradable intake protein restriction on characteristics of digestion and growth performance of feedlot cattle during the late finishing phase.

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the influence of supplemental urea withdrawal on characteristics of digestion (Trial 1) and growth performance (Trial 2) of feedlot cattle during the last 40 days on feed. Treatments consisted of a steam-flaked corn-based finishing diet supplemented with urea to provide urea fermentation potential (UFP) of 0, 0.6, and 1.2%. In Trial 1, six Holstein steers (160 ± 10 kg) with cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square experiment. Decreasing supplemental urea decreased (linear effect, P ≤ 0.05) ruminal OM digestion. This effect was mediated by decreases (linear effect, P ≤ 0.05) in ruminal digestibility of NDF and N. Passage of non-ammonia and microbial N (MN) to the small intestine decreased (linear effect, P = 0.04) with decreasing dietary urea level. Total tract digestion of OM (linear effect, P = 0.06), NDF (linear effect, P = 0.07), N (linear effect, P = 0.04) and dietary DE (linear effect, P = 0.05) decreased with decreasing urea level. Treatment effects on total tract starch digestion, although numerically small, likewise tended (linear effect, P = 0.11) to decrease with decreasing urea level. Decreased fiber digestion accounted for 51% of the variation in OM digestion. Ruminal pH was not affected by treatments averaging 5.82. Decreasing urea level decreased (linear effect, P ≤ 0.05) ruminal N-NH and blood urea nitrogen. In Trial 2, 90 crossbred steers (468 kg ± 8), were used in a 40 d feeding trial (5 steers/pen, 6 pens/ treatment) to evaluate treatment effects on final-phase growth performance. Decreasing urea level did not affect DMI, but decreased (linear effect, P ≤ 0.03) ADG, gain efficiency, and dietary NE. It is concluded that in addition to effects on metabolizable amino acid flow to the small intestine, depriving cattle of otherwise ruminally degradable N (RDP) during the late finishing phase may negatively impact site and extent of digestion of OM, depressing ADG, gain efficiency, and dietary NE