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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Bowling Green, Kentucky » Food Animal Environmental Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #313036

Title: Sulfur compound concentrations at swine and poultry facilities

Author
item Silva, Philip - Phil
item Lovanh, Nanh
item Loughrin, John

Submitted to: Air and Waste Management Annual Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/3/2015
Publication Date: 9/18/2015
Citation: Silva, P.J., Lovanh, N.C., Loughrin, J.H. 2015. Sulfur compound concentrations at swine and poultry facilities. Air and Waste Management Annual Conference Proceedings. 171:1-5.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Reduced sulfur compounds are emitted from waste handling at animal agriculture operations. These sulfur compounds are responsible for odor production as well as participating in atmospheric chemistry. We have adapted a chromatographic method for providing 10 minute online monitoring capability of reduced sulfur compounds. Field testing of the instrument has taken place at a swine facility that composts waste under the house and at a poultry processing facility that uses an anaerobic lagoon to generate methane for recycled energy use. Atmospheric concentrations of sulfur compounds at the swine facility show bursts of ambient concentrations upon mixing of compost. Not all sulfur compounds have the same temporal profiles with dimethyldisulfide peaking at the low ppb level several hours after mixing. At the poultry processing facility, high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide generated by the lagoon were caused corrosion of surrounding buildings and potential problems with the generator. Condensation traps were utilized to reduce sulfur from the gas phase (air) and convert into the liquid phase.