REDUCING AMMONIA VOLATILIZATION IN BULGARIA BY OPTIMISING FERTILIZER MIX: THE ROLE OF AMMONIUM NITRATE

Volatilization of Ammonia (NH3) during the use of fertilizers poses a significant issue in farming, causing nitrogen waste and environmental challenges such as air pollution and eutrophication problems.177 This study explores methods to reduce NH3 emissions by changing the national fertilizer consumption. The proposal is to increase the percentage of Ammonium Nitrate (AN) in the fertilizers mix by 20% while decreasing the other components, maintaining overall the same nitrogen input levels. This variation is important because it can stimulate a better national fertilizer use, achieving a more sustainable outcome. By implementing these adjustments, Ammonia emissions could decrease theoretically by 16.4%, corresponding to about 5.3% in the total Ammonia release. This is a little step that could help Bulgaria achieve the target of a 19% reduction of NH3 emissions by 2030, as specified by the European National Emission Ceilings Directive178. The results indicate that a small adjustment in the fertilizer mix, passing from 52% to 63% of AN, could produce important environmental benefits, without compromising farming productivity. In fact, increasing the percentage of Ammonium Nitrate in the mix seems to have an indirectly proportional effect on emissions, proving to be a practical solution for reducing nitrogen loss and Ammonia volatilization due to its lower Emission Factor179. Farmers, agronomists, and policymakers can gain useful information from this research to better manage the fertilizer mixes, to support crop yield and environmental goals. This study underscores the need for smart fertilizer use to promote sustainable agriculture and meet global environmental standards.