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Technologies for a Danish Zero Greenhouse Gas Emission Agriculture

Aarhus University iCLIMATE centre is organising a one-day national seminar on technologies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture.

Info about event

Time

Monday 28 June 2021,  at 09:00 - 20:00

This seminar will gather scientists, actors and stakeholders from Danish institutions with knowledge and interests in developing technologies aiming at reducing GHG emissions from agriculture. The seminar will produce a catalogue of individual technologies and potential synergies in mitigating emissions from the entire agricultural production system. 

Participants 

  • Early career and established scientists from Danish research institutions working in the field of zero GHG emission in highly productive agriculture. 
  • Actors and stakeholders from industry, farmer organisations, policy makers, and Governmental Agencies. 

There is room for 100 participants at the workshop. 

Registration and submission of abstract 

It is free to join the workshop, but registration is needed before 1 April 2021 via this link: https://events.au.dk/zeaws  

You can submit your half page abstract (plus one figure) for oral presentation to ZEA@agro.au.dk before 1 April 2021. 

Aim 

Denmark has the goal to reduce GHG emissions by 70% in 2030, relative to 1990, with a target of carbon neutral-ity in 2050. This ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050 is shared by the Danish agricultural businesses. The GHG emission from Denmark’s agricultural sector (with LULUCF emissions included) exceeded 30% of the total national emission in 2018, but with business as usual, there will be no significant reduction until 2040. This calls for the explo-ration and implementation of new and game-changing technologies, agricultural management strategies, land uses and biomass processing chains that enable both re-duced emissions and increased carbon uptake. 

At this national seminar on 28 June 2021, we will present and discuss potential mitigation strategies for agriculture. 

Researchers and entrepreneurs are invited to present technologies, management strategies and model tools to help reduce or eliminate GHG emissions from agriculture. 

The seminar will be a forum for fruitful and constructive discussions, and based on the outcome, a preliminary catalogue of mitigation technologies will emerge. 

From 22 - 24 February 2022 an international conference “ZEA - Zero Emission Agriculture” will be organized by iCLIMATE and hosted and financed by Novo Nordisk Foundation. Presenters at the national workshop in Janu-ary 2021 will be encouraged to reflect on the dialogue at the seminar, revise their conceptual ideas, and distil them into abstracts for submission as oral or poster presentations to the committee of the international ZEA-conference. 

Organising committee 

Coordinator: Professor Jørgen E. Olesen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University 

Professor Sven G. Sommer, Dep. of Engineering, Aarhus University 

Senior scientist Anne Winding, Dep. of Environmental Science, Aarhus University 

Professor Søren O. Petersen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University 

Nicholas J. Hutchings, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University 

Secretary Jytte Christensen, Dep. of Agroecology, Aarhus University 

Contact persons: 

Jytte Christensen, E-mail jytte.christensen@agro.au.dk 

Sven G. Sommer. E-mail; SGS@eng.au.dk  

Program

09:00

Registration and coffee, Anne Sofie Nielsen, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University

Session 1: Chaired by Sven G. Sommer,  Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University    

09:30 - 09:45

Welcome and introduction to roadmaps and large project initiatives, Professor Jørgen E. Olesen, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University    

09:45 - 10:00

Climate optimized agricultural production – research partnership, Head of Department Hans R. Thysen, SEGES    

10:00 - 10:10

Upcoming initiatives, targets and R&D program launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,  Head of Section Bjarne Thomsen, Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery  

10:10 - 10:50

Presentations (all presentations are 10 minutes each)

1) Quantification of methane emissions from livestock production using the tracer gas dispersion method, Nathalia Thygesen, Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark     

2) Instinct® as new generation of nitrogen stabilizer reducing emissions and providing an optimized supply of nitrogen for corn, Marcin Dzikowski, Corteva   

3) Danish farmers’ incentives to enroll in long-term versus shorter term voluntary agri-environmental contracts – results from a hypothetical experiment, Berit Hasler, Department of Environmental Sciences, Aarhus University   

10:50 - 11:20

Break with refreshments

11:20 - 12:00

Session 2: Chaired by Anne Winding, Department of Environmental Sciences, Aarhus University

1) In vitro rumen total gas and methane formation of ensiled Saccharina latissima, Mirka Mølgaard Thorsteinsson, Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University    

2) Frequent flushing of slurry lowers the emission of methane from pig houses, Michael Jørgen Hansen, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering,  Aarhus University   

3) Climate mitigation side effects of cost-effective implementation of the Water Framework Directive, Maria Konrad, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University     

12:00 - 12:45

Poster session flash talks á two minutes each. See list of titles and presenters below. 

12:45 - 14:45

Lunch, networking and poster session

14:45 - 15:45

Session 3: Chaired by Søren O. Pedersen, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University

1) Production and use of biochar in an agricultural, Danish context, Tobias Pape Thomsen, Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University  

2) Catch Crops for Carbon Capture and Reduction of Nitrous Oxide Emissions - First results from the CatCap project, Tine Engedal, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen   

3) The Anaerobic Biodegradation Model (ABM): A new model for estimating effects of methane mitigation technologies in livestock production, Frederik R. Dalby, Danish Technological Institute

4) Breeding for low methane emitting cows, Coralia Manzanilla, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University 

15:45 - 16:00

Break and refreshments

Session 4: Chaired by Lars J. Munkholm, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University

16:15

Summing up - learning points, Jørgen E. Olsen, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University and Hans R. Thysen, SEGES

16:15 - 17:00

Sandwich and goodbye


Instructions to presenters 

Presentation of novel concepts and ideas for production, management and mitigation technologies are welcome. 

New production systems and their effect on GHG emis-sions are valued. 

In addition to presentation of the technology or concept, the abstracts (½ page + one figure) and presentations must include an estimate or guesstimate of: 

  • Challenges and opportunities for implementation (Need for incentives or regulation) 
  • Maximum GHG reduction potential, 
  • Side effects 
  • Impact on agriculture (cost, viability, immediate ef-fect or effect on the long term etc.) 

Submit your abstract (half page plus one figure) to this e-mail ZEA@agro.au.dk before 1 April 2021.