This ongoingstudy is continuously monitoring emissions of gases including ammonia,hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane and (intermittently) selected odorous volatile organiccompounds (VOCs) as well as particulate matter (PM) from a 2500headsow farm consisting oftwo gestation barns and one farrowing barn in central Iowa. An onfarminstrumentation shelterhouses the equipment for measuring pollutant concentrations at representative barn air inlets andoutlets, barn airflows, operational processes and environmental variables. Sampling began inJuly 2007 with data logged every 15 s and 60 s; sampling will continue for 24 months in total.Data are retrieved with networkconnectedPC, formatted, and validated for calculations ofemission rates. A multipoint air sampling system draws air sequentially from representativelocations at the barns and delivers it to a manifold from which onlinegas analyzers draw theirsubsamples. Different size PM including total suspended particulate (TSP), PM10 and PM2.5 aremeasured in real time using tapered element oscillating microbalances (TEOMs) and a BetaGage PM analyzer. Mechanicallyventilatedbarn airflows are estimated by continuouslymeasuring fan operational status and building static pressure, in combination with calibratedcurves for each fan’s airflow. Specific processes that directly or indirectly influence barnemissions, including pig activity, manure management/handling and feeding, are measured.Environmental parameters including inside and outside air temperatures and humidity, windspeed and direction, and solar radiation are also monitored. Feed and water consumption, manureproduction and removal, swine mortalities, and animal production are recorded. Samples of feed,water, and manure are collected and analyzed for total nitrogen and total sulfur.
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