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Swine waste and odor research
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Batch
system holds promise for odor reduction
[NOV.
12, 2003]
URBANA -- A system that uses
heat shows promise in significantly reducing odor from swine
production facilities, according to a Southern Illinois University
researcher working in a $6 million project funded by the Council on
Food and Agricultural Research.
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"It is reasonable to expect over 80
percent odor removal from a full-scale semi-continuous system after
startup," said James W. Blackburn, a professor of mechanical
engineering and energy processing.
Blackburn's research involved an
aerobic thermophilic treatment technique for animal wastes that is
different from earlier approaches along the same lines. His research
will be presented Dec. 11-12 in Champaign at the University of
Illinois Swine Industry Conference, which will focus on swine waste
and odor management. People interested in attending the conference
should contact Gilbert Hollis by phone at (217) 333-0013 or by
e-mail to hollisg@uiuc.edu.
"Current practices of swine waste
management are typically based on storage of wastes in an open
lagoon for a number of months, during which time anaerobic processes
operate to create highly reduced, odorous organic and inorganic
compounds," said Blackburn. "Periodically, the solids are removed
and applied to crop land.
"Significant odors are released during
both storage and solids disposal."
The result has led to resistance to the
siting of new swine farms. And, Blackburn noted, none of the
currently applied waste disposal efforts achieves efficient reuse or
sustainability of the high-energy resource represented by swine
wastes.
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The system that Blackburn examined --
one that is now in planning and construction at an Illinois swine
farm -- uses aerobic biological oxidation at approximately 55
degrees Celsius to achieve high pollutant reduction at a level of
about 60 to 70 percent within six days.
"Olfactory analyses of samples of off
gas from a pilot batch system made within hours of being taken
showed over 90 percent reduction in odor-detection threshold," said
Blackburn. "Odor removal was noticed at laboratory scale and
verified by direct olfactometry at the scale batch pilot plant."
Blackburn believes the system shows
considerable promise for addressing a major issue in the swine
industry -- odor and waste management.
"Technically
and economically, this odor-removal technology has the potential to
compete with other manure-management technologies and should be
given strong consideration," he said. "However, full-scale
application, evaluation and validation on commercial operations will
be necessary before this process could be recommended for commercial
adoption."
[University
of Illinois news release]
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