Project Description

This emission measurement project at livestock and poultry buildings is being conducted collaboratively by six states: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, North Carolina, and Texas. Mobile laboratories or trailers are used by each state to collect aerial pollutant emissions from barns for six different animal (swine and poultry) types, one type per participating state. Each state’s mobile lab, stationed between two identical confined animal production buildings, houses a gas sampling system, gas analyzers, particulate matter analyzers, environmental instrumentation, a computer, data acquisition system and other equipment needed for the study. Each building pair is being sampled continuously for fifteen (15) months. Most of the data collection began in the fall of 2002. These long-term continuous measurements allow the recording of variations in emissions due to seasonal effects, animal growth cycles, and diurnal variations.

Aerial pollutant emissions will be measured directly at the source, e.g. the exhaust fans. Each mobile laboratory is continuously sampling this exhaust air for ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and PM10. This exhaust air sampling is done in conjunction with continuous inlet air sampling so the change in outlet vs inlet gas and dust concentrations can be accurately assessed. All buildings in this study are mechanically ventilated and building airflow is monitored continuously so determination of emissions can be made. Emissions is the product of the outlet concentration (minus the inlet concentration) and the airflow rate. Odor emission measurements are made twice each month and total suspended particulates (TSP) are measured periodically. Gas, odor and PM (PM10, TSP) emission rates will are calculated by multiplying concentration differences between inlet and outlet air by building airflow rates.