Managing the environmental footprint of livestock waste is a growing concern for European agriculture. A new study published in BioEnergy Research (2025) by Yu Hu, Jingwen Huang, Yang Zhao, and Guangyu Shi evaluates three major strategies—land return (composting), biofuel production, and biochar generation—to determine the most sustainable approach to cow manure management in southern Sweden.
Using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methods based on ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, the researchers assessed the environmental and economic impacts of each pathway. Their findings highlight that composted land return not only delivers the highest greenhouse gas reduction potential (−54.47 kg CO₂ eq per ton of manure) but also maintains a relatively low processing cost of 940 SEK per ton.
In comparison, biofuel production from cow manure achieved the lowest cost at 666.58 SEK per ton, but its carbon reduction capacity (−10.73 kg CO₂ eq) was modest. Biochar production, though valuable for carbon sequestration potential, showed the highest cost (1636 SEK per ton) and increased emissions due to energy-intensive pyrolysis processes.
The study concludes that composting remains the most environmentally beneficial and economically feasible manure management practice in Halland. Policymakers are encouraged to support biogas and composting initiatives within Sweden’s and the EU’s agricultural climate goals while funding research to improve the efficiency of biochar technologies.
Reference
Hu, Y., Huang, J., Zhao, Y., & Shi, G. (2025). Environmental and Economic Assessment of Cow Manure Management in Halland, Sweden: Land Return, Biofuel, and Biochar. BioEnergy Research, 18(1), 104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-025-10902-3
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