ARS | Publication request: Estimating ammonia and methane emissions from CAFOs using an open-path optical remote sensing technology

Submitted to: Proceedings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International (ASABE)
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: April 26, 2007
Publication Date: June 17, 2007
Citation: Ro, K.S., Hunt, P.G., Johnson, M.H., Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B. 2007. Estimating ammonia and methane emissions from CAFOs using an open-path optical remote sensing technology. Proceedings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International Meeting, Paper Number 074004. 8 p.

Technical Abstract: The U.S. EPA recently demonstrated the open-path optical remote sensing technology to identify hot spots and estimate mass flux of fugitive gases from closed landfill. The objective of this research is to validate this technology for estimating ammonia and methane emission from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The technology utilizes the vertical radial plume mapping (VRPM) method, which reconstructs a vertical plume map based on several path-integrated concentrations of fugitive gases measured with open-path optical instruments. The mass flux of fugitive gas is then estimated by multiplying the vertical plane-integrated concentration by the averaged wind speed components normal to the vertical plane. The experimental system consists of an open-path tunable diode laser CH4 detector (Boreal Laser) mounted on an automatic positioning device, a 10-m weather mast, wind sensors, and integrated VRPM software (Arcadis Inc., NC). This method measured the methane emission rate from a distribution source with good accuracies.