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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 #385972
Research Project: Improvement of Soil Management Practices and Manure Treatment/Handling Systems of the Southern Coastal Plain

Location: Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research

Title: Pilot-scale H2S and swine odor removal system using commercially available biochar

Author
item Ro, Kyoung
item Woodbury, Bryan
item Spiehs, Mindy
item Szogi, Ariel
item Silva, Philip
item HWANG, OKHWA - Rural Development Administration - Korea
item CHO, SUNGBACK - Rural Development Administration - Korea

Submitted to: Agronomy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/2021
Publication Date: 8/13/2021
Citation: Ro, K.S., Woodbury, B.L., Spiehs, M.J., Szogi, A.A., Silva, P.J., Hwang, O., Cho, S. 2021. Pilot-scale H2S and swine odor removal system using commercially available biochar. Agronomy [MDPI]. 11(8). Article 1611. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081611.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081611

Interpretive Summary: Biochars made from well-defined, controlled laboratory pyrolysis systems are reported to remove odorous compounds and toxic hydrogen sulfide effectively. However, very few such studies are available for commercial biochars. In this study, we used pinebased biochar purchased from a company. We evaluated its physicochemical characteristics and its efficacy in removing odorous compounds and hydrogen sulfide using a pilot-scale biochar odor removal system (PSBORS). The efficacy of the PSBORS for removing 15 odorous compounds was evaluated by placing it in a nursery pen continually treating the inside air for 21 days. All odorous compounds in the PSBORS effluent were below the detection limit except for acetic acid. However, due to its very high odor threshold, its contribution to the odor would be minimal. It appeared that commercial biochar could reduce both hydrogen sulfide and odorous compounds. The spent biochar could be recycled as an amendment for soil quality improvement after its use for odor control.

Technical Abstract: Although biochars made in laboratory seem to remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and odorous compounds effectively, very few such studies are available for commercial biochars. This study evaluated the efficacy of a commercial biochar (CB) for removing H2S and odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We found that the well-known Ergun equation may not be adequate in predicting pressure drop for properly sizing a ventilation system. The H2S breakthrough adsorption capacity of the CB was 2.51 milligram per gram (mg/g) under humid conditions, which was much higher than that for dry conditions. The breakthrough capacity increased with the influent concentration of H2S. The efficacy of a pilot-scale biochar odor removal system (PSBORS) for removing 15 odorous VOCs was evaluated by placing it in a nursery pen continually treating the inside air for 21 days. All VOCs in the PSBORS effluent were below detection limit except for acetic acid. However, due to its very high odor threshold, its contribution to the odor would be minimal. It appeared that the CB could be used to reduce both H2S and odorous VOCs with the potential of recycling the spent CB for soil quality improvement after using it for H2S and odor removal.