The development of a methodology for the monitoring of aerial pollutants from agricultural livestock housing.

摘要

Commercia, animal feeding operations and agricultural housing have developed over the last decade to be larger and contain more animals than ever before. Along with the intensification of animal production comes the intensification of the production of waste and other byproducts such as aerial pollutants. The objective of this study is to develop a system to measure aerial pollutants at confined animal housing facilities.;At the commercial broiler facility pollutant concentration measurements were not taken during the first 11 days of the cycle due to high moisture content of the air in the barn. The emission factors for the cycle days 12 through 31 for ammonia, methane and non-methane hydrocarbons were 100.8 +/- 40.1, 200.93 +/- 132.41 and 5.39 +/- 5.91 g/day/AU, respectively. Particulate matter emission factors were observed to be 0.996 +/- 0.605and 5.558 +/- 3.160 g/day/AU for PM2.5 and PM 10 respectively. Total mass of pollutants emitted during the 19 monitored days were calculated to be 213, 260, 9, 1950 and 9215 kg of ammonia, methane, non-methane hydrocarbons, PM2.5 and PM10. This shows a significant emission of methane, which has not been observed in a poultry facility before.;Measurements were taken at a research layer facility and a commercial broiler facility. An average emission rate of 79.63 +/- 67.17 g/day for ammonia and 10.93 +/-0.26 and 1.85 +/-0.04 g/day for PM10 and PM2.5 was observed for the research layer facility. A distinct diurnal trend was seen in both the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. The PM10 concentrations were observed to be 4 to 5 times higher during the day than at night and the PM2.5 concentrations were 1.5 to 2 times higher during the day.