An extensive laboratory study followed by a limited field‐scale investigation was carried out in this project with
the goal of determining the relationship between manure solids levels and aeration times and rates as well as their effect on the length of odor‐free storage after the combined separation and aeration treatment. It turns out that in order to reduce aeration time and rates, the manure total solids content should not exceed 1%. In the field study it was found that with a 10 hp surface aerator, it would take about 83 and 74 days to reduce VFA and BOD to the respective levels, i.e., 230 and 171 mg L‐1, under which offensive odors are not supposed to be produced.