Abating ammonia emission from poultry manure by Pt/TiO₂ modified corn straw

Poultry manure is a significant source of ammonia (NH₃) emissions, which not only poses detrimental impacts on human well-being and the ecological system, but also leads to economic losses in the agricultural industry. Herein, we modified corn straw (CS) with 1 wt% Pt/TiO₂ catalysts using a low-temperature partial-oxidation technology to mitigate NH₃ emissions from poultry manure. It was found that Pt/TiO₂ can enable exothermic processes to occur at lower temperatures by reducing the activation energy. Under optimal modification conditions of 220 °C, the NH₃ uptakes of modified CS samples were markedly greater compared to those of the original CS. Addition of 20-50% modified CS to poultry manure resulted in significant reductions of 54.1-98.6% in NH₃ emissions compared to the control. Mechanistic studies indicate that NH₃ adsorption on the modified CS is mainly driven by the presence of acidic and alkaline functional groups, while surface area and pore structure have a negligible effect. XPS combined with NH₃-TPD reveals that the formation of amide and amine bonds contributes to the excellent stability of adsorbed NH₃. H₂-TPR, O₂-TPD, and d-band theory suggest that strong metal-support interactions between Pt and TiO₂ could be particularly crucial in catalyzing CS modification. This study proposes an environmentally sustainable and economically viable solution for abating NH₃ emissions from poultry manure, thereby addressing crucial environmental and economic concerns in the agricultural sector.