ARS | Publication request: Measurement of Particulate Matter During Dairy Operations in California

Submitted to: American Association for Aerosol Research
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: July 8, 2009
Publication Date: October 28, 2009
Citation: Price, D.J., Brown, R.S., Silva, P.J. 2009. Measurement of Particulate Matter During Dairy Operations in California. American Association for Aerosol Research.

Technical Abstract: A collaborative experiment with Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) was set up to measure particulate emissions from tillage processes and other operations at a dairy in California. The dairy was located in the San Joaquin Valley, a traditional agricultural area with increasing urbanization. The air was sampled by an aerosol mass spectrometer(AMS, Aerodyne Inc.). The AMS obtains continuous quantitative size and chemical composition information on the non-refractory components of particulate matter. The AMS data revealed the Hanford air to be composed of ammonium salts, including ammonium nitrate and sulfate, and several types of carbonaceous species. Carbon species detected included hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), oxidized organic aerosol (OOA) and nitrogen-containing aerosol likely to be amines. A diurnal pattern emerged among the ammonium salts with nitrate dominant in the morning and sulfate dominant in the evening. Another instrument employed in this study was an optical particle counter (OPC). The OPC obtains particle number distribution information up to a particle size of ~10 microns. The data collected by the OPC was compared to that collected by the AMS. In several cases, both instruments measured increased signals simultaneously and a large dust plume was measured by both instruments. This suggests that the AMS can detect some fraction of non-refractory components in dust particulates even with no instrument changes.