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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #76632
Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A CHEMICAL-BASED OLFACTOMETRIC METHOD TO EVALUATE ODOR REMEDIATION STRATEGIES AT SWINE WASTE STORAGE FACILITIES

Author
item Zahn, James
item DO, YOUNG - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item DISPIRITO, ALAN - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Hatfield, Jerry

Submitted to: American Society of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/19/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The processing of livestock waste by anaerobic processes results in the production of malodorous products, such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, phenols, cresols, and indoles, which contribute to contamination of the atmosphere and surface water near livestock production facilities. The recent trend towards the commercialization of livestock production facilities throughout the United States has increased the concern by the general public and by governmental agencies for water and air quality issues in the general vicinity of livestock production facilities. Currently there has been very little scientific effort focused on the development of practical odor control applications which are useful to livestock producers. This slow pace in the development of odor reduction technologies can be attributed to the lack of established methods to define the chemical nature of odor samples. The National Soil Tilth Laboratory (USDA-ARS) and Iowa State University (I.S.U.) have established an automated method to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the chemistry of odor samples. We have utilized this method to evaluate the odor reduction capacities of anoxic photosynthetic blooms and biofilters at swine production facilities. The anoxic photosynthetic bloom was associated with the 15-fold reduction of malodorous volatile fatty acids (VFA) from the waste effluent and a 22-fold reduction in VFA gas emission. Surprisingly, aromatic VOCs were not significantly reduced. We have presently established weather stations, air and solution temperature probes, and photodetectors in an effort to define the environmental parameters that induce the phototrophic bloom.