Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. announced this week the Department of Environmental Protection has approved a process for certifying the credit value of projects designed to reduce ammonia emissions on farms for use as tradable nutrient (nitrogen) reduction credits.

The protocol determines how many nitrogen and phosphorus credits will be received for nutrient reductions achieved through installation of Bion's agricultural waste management technology.

Bion recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a large dairy in Lancaster County, Pa to retrofit its existing dairy operation with a Bion Comprehensive Environmental Management System designed to reduce ammonia emissions and soluble nutrients in the effluent.

Bion's Pennsylvania installation will generate one pound of nutrient credits for about every two pounds of nutrients mitigated, for a total of 175,109 pounds of nitrogen credits and 21,899 pounds of phosphorus credits annually from the initial 1,400 cows.

More than 40 percent of the nitrogen credits from Bion's Pennsylvania installation will result from the system's reduction of ammonia emissions from the livestock waste that, when untreated, volatilize to the atmosphere and are re-deposited downwind - a continued unregulated source of nutrients in the Bay and other water bodies.

Although not currently regulated, the substantial ammonia emissions from existing livestock facilities are under close scrutiny by state and federal agencies and other organizations for their impacts on the environment as well as potential health impacts.

NewsClip: DEP Approves Bion Nutrient Credit Calculation Protocols

5/23/2008