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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #67082
Title: EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL AMENDMENTS TO REDUCE AMMONIA VOLATILIZATION FROM POULTRY LITTER

Author
item Moore, Philip
item DANIEL, T. - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item EDWARDS, D. - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item MILLER, D. - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Ammonia volatilization from poultry litter often causes high levels of atmospheric ammonia in poultry houses, which is detrimental to both farm workers and birds. Ammonia emissions from houses also aggravate environmental problems, such as acid rain, and result in a loss of fertilizer nitrogen. Results from this study indicate that alum, ferrous sulfate, and phosphoric acid have the most efficacy to reduce ammonia volatilization from poultry litter of the compounds tested. Alum and ferrous sulfate would be preferred over phosphoric acid due to the fact that these compounds reduce phosphorus runoff, while phosphoric acid would be expected to increase phosphorus runoff. In addition, alum would be preferred over ferrous sulfate, based on concerns over iron toxicity with the use of ferrous sulfate.

Technical Abstract: Ammonia volatilization from poultry litter often causes high levels of atmospheric ammonia in poultry houses, which is detrimental to both farm workers and birds. Ammonia emissions from houses also aggravate environmen problems, such as acid rain, and result in a loss of fertilizer nitrogen. objectives of this study were to determine the effect of litter amendments ammonia volatilization, and to determine the effect of these amendments on nitrogen and phosphorus content in litter. The results of this research indicate that alum (Al2(SO4)3.18H2O), ferrous sulfate (FeSO4.7H2O) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4) dramatically reduce ammonia volatilization from litter. The amount of ammonia lost from litter treated with sodium bisulfa (NaHSO4) was not significantly different from the control (untreated litter Alum and ferrous sulfate also reduced water soluble P concentrations in litter, whereas phosphoric acid greatly increased water soluble P levels. most effective compound evaluated with respect to reducing both ammonia lo and P solubility was alum.