CO₂ production, dissolution and pressure dynamics during silage production: multi-sensor-based insight into parameter...

Silage is a critical global feedstock, but is prone to aerobic deterioration. The dominant mechanism of O₂ transport into silage remains unresolved. Here, multiple sensors tracked O₂ and CO₂, gas pressure (ΔP) between internal silage and ambient air, pH and silage temperature (T_si) during the ensilage of maize and ryegrass. We report the first observation that CO₂ produced from microbial respiration was partially dissolved in silage water, with evidence of negative or positive ΔP depending on the changing balance between CO₂ production and dissolution. The ΔP < 0 reflected an apparent respiratory quotient (RQ) < 1. Net CO₂ production was much greater in anaerobic fermentation stage than in initial aerobic phase or later aerobic feed-out phase. O₂ transport into silage is intimately linked to the dynamics of net CO₂, ΔP, microbial activity, pH and T_si. These results suggested that both gas diffusion (based on Fick's law) and advective transfer (Darcy's law) play equally important roles in governing the complex temporal progression of inward and outward gas fluxes to and from the silage interior. Even though low pH suppressed microbial activity and supported aerobic stability, the negative ΔP increased the risk of O₂ entry and aerobic deterioration during feed-out phase.