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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #107530
Title: EVALUATING PEATS FOR THEIR CAPACITIES TO REMOVE ODOROUS COMPOUNDS FROM LIQUID SWINE MANURE USING HEADSPACE "SOLID-PHASE MICROEXTRACTION"

Author
item RIZZUTI, ANTHONY - UNIV. OF SC, COLUMBIA
item COHEN, ARTHUR - UNIV. OF SC, COLUMBIA
item Hunt, Patrick
item Vanotti, Matias

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Science and Health
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Odors from animal waste can be a significant concern. However, peats have shown promise in the reduction of these odors. This paper reports on research designed to investigate the capacities of different highly characterized peats to remove odorous compounds from liquid swine manure (LSM). Peat types representing a wide range of properties were tested in order to establish which chemical and physical properties might be most indicative of their capacities to remediate odors produced by LSM. Eight percent slurries (of peat/LSM) were measured for odor changes after 24 hours using odor panel and instrumental analysis. Overall, the peats that were the most effective at removing odor-causing compounds tended to have similar properties(lower bulk densities, ash contents, fulvic acids contents, and guaiacyl lignins contents, and higher water holding capacities, hydraulic conductivities, "total other lignins" contents, hydrogen contents, carbon contents, and total cellulose contents). The instrumental analysis was found to be a reasonably inexpensive and efficient way of conducting this type of research. It allows one to identify a large number of the odor-causing compounds found in LSM, and more importantly, to detect with some precision specific differences in the amounts of these compounds retained among peat types.

Technical Abstract: This paper reports on research designed to investigate the capacities of different highly characterized peats to remove odorous compounds from liquid swine manure (LSM). Peat types representing a wide range of properties were tested in order to establish which chemical and physical properties might be most indicative of their capacities to remediate odors produced by LSM. Eight percent slurries (of peat/LSM) were measured for odor changes after 24 hours using odor panel and GC/MS-Solid-phase microextraction (GC/MLS-SPME) analysis. The GC/MS-SPME and odor panel results indicated that, although all peats tested in this study were found to be effective at removing odor-causing compounds found in LSM, some peats tended to work better than others. Overall, the peats that were the most effective at removing odor-causing compounds tended to have lower bulk densities, ash contents, fulvic acids contents, and guaiacyl lignins contents, and higher water holding capacities, hydraulic conductivities, "total other lignins" contents, hydrogen contents, carbon contents, and total cellulose contents. GC/MS-SPME analysis was found to be a reasonably inexpensive and efficient way of conducting this type of research. It allows one to identify a large number of the odor-causing compounds found in LSM, and more importantly, to detect with some precision specific differences in the amounts of these compounds between peat types.