Novel Approaches Target Reduced Odor and Gas Emissions

CANADA - Farm-Scape: Episode 2098. Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.
calendar icon 27 March 2006
clock icon 3 minute read

Farm-Scape, Episode 2098

Scientists at the Prairie Swine Centre evaluating the effectiveness of three novel approaches to controlling both odor and gas emissions from swine barns.

There has been considerable research into diet manipulation, manure additives and mechanical approaches to reducing odor and gas emissions from manure and now the Prairie Swine Centre is assessing the ability of nanoparticles to scrub gases from the air, solid-liquid separation to make processing manure easier and using water spray to reduce the release of gases and contaminants during manure agitation.

These techniques are among the topics being explored as part of Focus on the Future, underway in Saskatoon.

Dr. Bernardo Predicala says the main focus is worker and animal safety and also to minimize complaints from neighbors so the focus is on odor and gas emissions.

"In terms of odor we can't really say that we have a specific compound that we're concerned about because odor is composed of more than 500 gas so we try to eliminate production of odor in the first place rather than targeting specific components of the odor.

In terms of gases we're concerned primarily with ammonia and hydrogen sulfide because these gases are encountered or can be produced in swine operations.

Ammonia is an irritant which can have significant health effects to workers or animals if encountered at high concentrations. so we want to avoid that.

The same with hydrogen sulfide.

Hydrogen sulfide is a potentially hazardous gas, again, at elevated levels so what we're trying to do is to avoid production of high levels of this gas for the safety of workers and animals."

Dr. Predicala says, while spraying water is proving effective in reducing airborne contaminants, the studies into the use of nanoparticles and solid-liquid separation are just getting underway.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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