Climate mitigation efficiency of nitrification and urease inhibitors: impact on N2O emission–A review

Abstract

In recent years, the demand for climate-smart policies has taken on a global scale. While much of the emphasis has been on carbon footprints, other non-carbon greenhouse gases, like Nitrous oxide (N2O), seem to be having a substantial effect on climate change. N2O, a natural component of the atmosphere and the 3rd most deleterious greenhouse gas is being detected at concentrations higher enough to impact stratospheric ozone and global warming. Estimates of total atmospheric N2O since the industrial revolution showed a 20% increase by 2010. According to recent predictions, an expected increase from 6.4 to 7.6 Tg of N2O by 2030 is forecasted. Agriculture, fossil burning, energy industry, waste water management and transportation are among the worst culprits. Due to the increased rate of artificial N fertilizer application to meet global nutritional needs, the agricultural sector now accounts for over 70% of total N2O emissions. Though chemical inhibition of NH4+ oxidation and urea hydrolysis to lower N2O emissions from agriculture has been widely hailed, the efficacy of this technology as a smart practice for increasing crop production whilst avoiding environmental consequences has come under a barrage of criticisms. In this review, a broad spatial scale of the effects of various N inhibitors on global N2O budget and climate change based on mitigation trends since 2010 is presented.

Keywords

• Climate change
• Nitrification inhibitors
• Urease inhibitors
• Nitrous oxide emissions
• Ammonia volatilization