University of Twente Student Theses
Refining a simplified nitrogen leaching method in grey water footprint assessment : a maize case study
Scholten, A.J. (2025) Refining a simplified nitrogen leaching method in grey water footprint assessment : a maize case study.
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| Abstract: | This thesis tackles nitrogen leaching from agriculture, which threatens both the environment and economic efficiency. Excessive nitrogen use leads to groundwater contamination, surpassing ecosystem limits. Accurate leaching estimation is essential for optimizing fertilizer use, but current methods vary in complexity and accuracy. Three approaches—Tier 1, 2, and 3—exist, with Tier 1 being simple but imprecise, and Tier 2 and 3 offering better accuracy at higher costs. This study refines the Tier 1 method to improve accuracy while maintaining accessibility. A sensitivity analysis identified nitrogen application rate and the maximum leaching fraction as key factors in the method. By optimizing these parameters, accuracy improved, reducing RMSE and MAE by over 20%. Despite these refinements, local variations remain a challenge. This research proves that the Tier 1 method can be improved while maintaining its simplicity. However, its ability to support sustainable nitrogen management remains limited and it still falls short of advanced models or field experiments. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ET: Engineering Technology |
| Subject: | 56 civil engineering |
| Programme: | Civil Engineering and Management MSc (60026) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106104 |
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