Ammonia emissions from organic housing systems with fattening pigs.

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

The aim of this study was to determine the level and variations in ammonia emissions from buildings and outside yards, with different manure removal systems, for organically raised fattening pigs. It was found that differences in ammonia emissions between farms were probably mainly related to the manure removal system, design of the building and frequency of cleaning of outside yard. The farm with daily scraper cleaning and the farm with the slatted floor system had significantly lower emissions than the farm with bi-weekly manual removal of manure from a solid floor.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15375110

Feeding Amino Acid Chelated Copper and Zinc to Reduce Mineral Pollution From Swine Manure

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It was hypothesized that Zn and Cu reductions in feed have compromised swine performance and substituting amino acid chelated (AAC) sources for traditionally employed inorganic salts (IM) may overcome environmental and swine performance problems. It was found that supplementing swine rations with Cu and Zn AAC could lower environmental impact through reduced fecal mineral concentrations and due to greater AAC bioavailability, feed rations could potentially be formulated with lower inclusions of Cu and Zn, without compromising swine’s performance.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Previous.htm

Tile drains capture less water than expected

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Tile drains are not nearly as effective at rapidly removing
excess water as people assume, a good thing if you
are concerned about applied animal nutrients getting into
surface water bodies.
Experiments conducted last fall on a farm in the Upper
Thames River watershed near Kintore were designed to
mimic the worst conditions for applying pig manure – wet,
macroporous soil in fields that are systematically tiled. The research team found that tile drain discharge, even under
those conditions, could only directly account for 10 to 15 per cent
of the water that was applied to the surface of the field.
“The bottom line,” Rudolph says, “is that tile drains capture
much less than we ever would have expected. It has
been conventionally assumed that the tiles have a very large
area of influence. Field experiments show the influence is
much smaller than we’d anticipate.”
“To help us further understand the risks that tile drains
impose on our water resources,” says Rudolph, “more field
experiments are being conducted in other geological settings
and under a wider range of climate conditions.” He also
adds that movement of the chemical tracers applied last fall
is still being monitored.

A laboratory study of the effect of coating on cleanability of concrete flooring for use in piggeries

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Agricultural environments are challenging from the point of view of durability and cleanability of materials. Several substances wear, weaken and soil the floorings. These include for example mixtures of manure, feed and washing waters with chemical load. Choice of materials in piggeries is an important factor affecting the well-being of animals by allowing the species-characteristic behaviour of the animals and preventing injuries and diseases (Baxter, 1984; Hoy et al., 1999). In addition, the material chosen also affects the comfort and safety of the personnel working in animal production buildings. When the aim is to produce safe food products, requirements for hygienic properties for the production plants are also of importance (McClanahan, 2005). Furthermore, the hygienic environment of the animals affects the organoleptic quality of meat (Maw et al., 2001). Both chemical substances and mechanical impact on floorings cause corrosion and wear that may promote injuries to the animals. In addition, it may make cleaning difficult, thus promoting spread of diseases (De Belie, 1997; De Belie et al., 2000b). Therefore the use of coatings to protect the surface of concrete against wear is of interest. The effects of five plastic coatings on cleanability of concrete flooring were examined. The aim of the study was particularly to examine the correspondence between the cleanability of the surfaces using simple model soils in a radiochemical reference method and manure soil in a colorimetric study. According to both colorimetric and radiochemical measurements, coating of concrete improved the cleanability of the flooring. The use of coating can thus be justified in sites in which a high cleanness level is required, probably meaning that coatings will be used only in some sites in animal production buildings. According to the colorimetric results, coating also decreases the time required for cleaning. As an important result for further studies concerning comparison of surface materials for animal buildings, this study demonstrated that cleanability of the surfaces from manure soil could be described by both 14C- and 51Cr- labelled radiochemical model soils (correlation coefficients 0.656 and 0.691, respectively). The quantitative radiochemical method is an excellent way to detect soil absorbed in materials. This is important especially from the point of view of durability, because soil absorbed in the flooring material causes chemical attack, which weakens the material in the long run.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15375110

Investigating Conductivity to Predict Magnesium Addition Requirements for Struvite Precipitation in Swine Manure Slurries

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The goal of this project was to develop a system that identified magnesium demand for struvite formation by
monitoring conductivity changes during continuous injection of magnesium chloride in several swine manure slurries. Theoretical predictions and pure solution tests provided information capable of determining the magnesium demand for struvite precipitations. However, after testing six different manures in triplicate, the conductivity responses did not follow theoretical predictions and failed to provide any indication of optimum magnesium injection rates for phosphorus removal.

For more information the full article can be found at http://asae.frymulti.com/toc.asp

Simple odor solution

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Oklahoma farmer Vic Little is constantly looking for other ways
to further reduce the odor of his hog farm, and has discovered a
solution that has turned out to be simple and inexpensive—piping
which acts as a buffer system in the lagoon.

Remote control airboat measures lagoon sludge

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Lagoon management can be greatly aided by knowing how much sludge is in a lagoon at a given time. As well, knowing the amount of build-up in a lagoon is necessary in order to monitor the effectiveness of sludge management products. But actually measuring the sludge amount can be a laborious and dangerous job. Recently, interest in the use of sonar waves for sludge measurements has increased among the scientific and business community. The University of Georgia’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering decided to develop an air-powered remote controlled airboat. The researchers tested its measurements for various settings of the control panel variables and validated the airboat measurements with reports by a private commercial firm using a similar, but more complicated system. The remotely controlled unmanned airboat was designed and assembled by Pat Harrel, a UGA technician. The 44 inch long and 24 inch wide airboat is equipped with a fish finder sonar unit coupled with a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. The fish finder uses a 200kHz transducer located at the bottom rear edge of the airboat. The airboat is propelled by a gasoline engine driven propeller. Three Teflon bars are installed at the bottom of the airboat to reduce friction while moving over floating debris. The remote control unit has two actuators: one controlled the direction by moving two air wings mounted behind the propeller, and the other controls engine speed. On the airboat, the sonar unit collects the data in the form of a map of the bottom of the lagoon. To record and redisplay this map, the sonar unit also stores information about the speed, position, depth to top and bottom of sludge layer, and other details in a data file. During validation analysis for the data collected by the airboat, the mapping data reported by the private firm was used as reference. The top surface of the sludge obtained from the airboat and that from the private firm are shown in Figure 1. Both surface maps for the top of the sludge looked similar except that the surface map resulting from the airboat data had more spikes on the surface. This non-smooth behavior might be due to the use of a less accurate GPS system with the airboat. The GPS system used by the private firm had accuracy within inches compared to several feet for the system used by the airboat GPS. While the airboat technology for sludge measurement is 15 to 20 times faster and 70 percent less labor consuming, further research is needed to generalize this technology.

Partial Biofiltration of Exhaust Air from a Hybrid Ventilated Deep-Pit Swine Finisher Barn

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A strategy for providing partial biofiltration of a critical minimum amount of ventilation air (CMVR) from a hybrid
ventilated swine finishing facility was developed and tested. The results indicate that a strategy of partial biofiltration can result in significant reductions in odor and ammonia emissions when applied to hybrid ventilated swine finishing barns.

For more information the full article can be found at http://asae.frymulti.com/toc.asp

The Environmental and Public Health Risks Associated with Arsenical Use in Animal Feeds

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In this research, we discuss the use of arsenicals in food-animal production and the evidence associating this use with increased levels of arsenic compounds in edible tissues. In addition to food consumption, the use of arsenicals in
animal feeds results in environmental pathways of exposure owing to waste-disposal practices common to intensive or industrial food-animal production. It was found that humans are exposed to arsenic via a number of environmental and dietary sources, all of which contribute to individuals’ cumulative arsenic burdens. Many of these sources, such
as naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater, are difficult or expensive to control, and as a result, challenges exist inmitigation of these exposures. Contrarily, as an intentional additive to poultry feed, the removal of arsenicals from the feed regimen is a cost-free intervention, mitigating not only exposures resulting from exposures
to waste-born arsenic, but also eliminating dietary exposures through consumption of contaminated animal products.

Purdue begins national study of air quality at animal feeding operations

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Research has officially begun in the largest study ever conducted to measure levels of various gases and airborne pollutants emitted from poultry, dairy and swine facilities across the nation. Led by Purdue University, the 2.5 year, $14.6 million study is measuring the levels of hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter and ammonia, among other chemicals, released from livestock facilities. Measurements have started in locations throughout the country and will be underway at all 20 study sites in eight states by mid-summer. The National Air Emission Monitoring Study, conducted under the advisement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will record two continuous years of emission data at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). These comprise barns and manure storage units, such as lagoons. Using advanced measurement tools and methods; this study will fill gaps in EPA’s database, Dr. Heber says, since little quantitative research has been done on these emissions. Researchers will also measure emissions from open-air sources, such as dairy corrals and manure basins and lagoons. Specialized sensors, including lasers and reflectors, will measure levels of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia released. Other studies have shown that levels of emissions vary by temperature and time of day, factors that can be considered in developing better air emission controls, Dr. Heber says. Many of the producers whose farms are being monitored in the study have indicated receptiveness to follow-up studies on such mitigation strategies, he says. A pork operation located in the Oklahoma Panhandle has already been chosen as a research site. Dr. Casey and his crew from Texas A&M will monitor ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and particulate matter, continuously, from the buildings while another researcher will periodically monitor emissions from the lagoon. Purdue has already sent a trailer fully equipped with instrumentation to the site, Dr. Casey explains. It will take about two months to install and calibrate the system. Dust at the pork operation will be measured by a piece of equipment called tapered element oscillating microbalance, the researcher says, which gives a continuous measurement of the air being exhausted from the fans on the building. Likewise, Dr. Casey says, samples from representative fans in each building will be drawn continuously by monitors to the instrument trailer and be analyzed for ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The Agricultural Air Research Council, a non-profit organization funded by livestock industry groups, is funding this study. The EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards are overseeing the project.