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Oxidation of 13C-labeled methane in surface crusts of pig- and cattle slurry

Storage tanks for slurry from animal production constitute important point sources for emission of CH4 into the atmosphere. Recent investigations have demonstrated that surface crust formed on top of animal slurry provides a habitat for CH4 oxidation activity, a finding which may open for new opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during storage of animal wastes. In this work, 13C-labeled CH4 was used as a tracer to examine the absolute rates of CH4 oxidation and production in intact crust materials, collected from six different pig- and cattle slurry tanks in late autumn. Methane concentrations were generally reduced in the presence of surface crust samples, with the exception of a LECA®-based (light expanded clay aggregates) crust from a pig slurry tank. In four samples, CH4 consumption was induced following a 2–4 days lag phase, whereas one cattle slurry crust consumed CH4 immediately and showed a 92% decline in CH4 concentration within the first week. Consumption of 13C-labeled CH4 was paralleled by the production of 13C-labeled CO2, thus providing direct evidence that microbial oxidation of CH4 to CO2 was taking place. Between 23% and 36% of the CH4–13C consumed in the active samples was accounted for in the gas phase CO2 indicating incomplete conversion of CH4 to CO2; however, comparable amounts of 13C was immobilized in the crust samples. Overall, the results showed that significant CH4 oxidation to CO2 in slurry crust samples occurs immediately or is inducible upon exposure to CH4.