Joe TarabaExtension Professor
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
University of Kentucky
US and European approaches to reducing animal confinement emissions
Present media moisture control strategies
Green house gas generation, removal and emissions as affected by media moisture
New concept of viewing microbial populations on media in biofilter
New moisture control strategy
Application of moderate pressure biofiltration
Large amount of research and extension information concerning effectiveness and design has been developed in the upper Midwest since the mid-90s
•Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana
•Larry Jacobson, Kevin Janni, Dick Nicolai, Bob Burns, Ted Funk, Rick Stowell, Dave Schmidt, Al Heber
• Odorants:Carboxylic acids butyric acid, valeric acid, ……
Alcohols ethanol, butanol, ......
Phenolics cresol, dimethyl phenol, ……
Aldehydes acetaldehyde, acrolein, …..
Esters ethyl acetate, butylacetate, ……
Nitrogen heterocycles indole, skatole, ……
Amines methylamine, pentylamine, ……
Sulfides dimethylsulphide, …….
Mercaptans methanethiol, ……
168 Compounds Found
• Toxics:AmmoniaHydrogen sulfide
• Greenhouse gases (GHGs):Carbon dioxideMethane (~ 30 x CO2)
Nitrous oxide (~ 300 x CO2) (evolved during treatment process)
Scale of the Concern for Animal Confinement Gas Emissions
• Biofilter technique using media to support microorganisms to capture and biologically degrade pollutants.
• Bio-scrubber/bio-trickle filterwater, w/o nutrients, flowing over media countercurrent to gas flow.
• Biofilm aggregate of microorganisms, embedded within a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix, adhering to a surface.
Wikipedia – accessed 1/21/2011Devinny and Ramesh. 2005.Chemical Engineering Journal 113, 187–196
• Filtration - separation of solids from fluids (liquids or gases) by using a medium through which only the fluid can pass
• Wet Scrubber - spray of liquid droplets or film covering a media capturing particulate matter and dissolving or absorbing gaseous pollutants into the liquid.
• Absorption - molecules are taken up by the volume, not by the surface
• Adsorption - adhesion of atoms, ions, biomolecules or molecules to a surface
Wikipedia – accessed 1/21/2011
• Reduce the generation of gases.Alter the microbial populations (change
microbial environment).Reduce the food for microbes.
• Dilute or disperse the gases as they leave the site.
• Capture and treat the gases before they leave the site.
Air Quality Around Production Facilities and Land Application Sites, Lorimor and Schmidt LPES, 2008
• Diet
• Add bedding
• Pit additives
Air Quality Around Production Facilities and Land Application Sites, Lorimor and Schmidt LPES, 2008
• Setback distances
• Wind breaks or shelterbelts
• Stacks
Air Quality Around Production Facilities and Land Application Sites, Lorimor and Schmidt LPES, 2008
Environmental issues In livestock production Home study course. http://www3.abe.iastate.edu/homestudy/odorassess.htm
Biofilters use microbes to convert odorousgases to carbon dioxide and water.
Air Quality Around Production Facilities and Land Application Sites, Lorimor and Schmidt LPES, 2008
• Typically applied to total ventilation exhaust
• Multiple stage treatment
• Pressure drop ~ 0.6- 0.7 “ H2O
• Small footprint
• Higher management input
Gates, 2007
Exhaust Air Treatment Systems for Animal Housing Facilities: Techniques - Performance – Costs. KTBL, Publ. no. 464, 2008
Gates, 2007
Exhaust Air Treatment Systems for Animal Housing Facilities: Techniques -Performance – Costs. KTBL, Publ. no. 464, 2008
Exhaust Air Treatment Systems for Animal Housing Facilities: Techniques - Performance – Costs. KTBL, Publ. no. 464, 2008
Exhaust Air Treatment Systems for Animal Housing Facilities: Techniques - Performance – Costs. KTBL, Publ. no. 464, 2008
•Higher pressure drop
•High air treatment volume
•Sludge and wastewater storage
• Single stage - biofiltration
• Partial treatment of ventilation air - pit ventilation
• Low pressure drop ~ 0.1 – 0.25 “H2O
• Large footprint
Jacobson, et al. ASABE, 2006
Jacobson, et al. ASABE, 2006
Nicolai, et al, 2008. Mitigating air emissions from animal feeding
operations Conf.
Horizontal Filter Vertical Filter
Schmidt and Janni, Univ of Minn., 2009
Air Distribution Plenum
Nicolai and Lefers, NPPC Report, 2008
Tapered wall for uniform gas flow
• Maintain low pressure drop
• Sufficient void space in media bed
• Type/composition/size of media
• Air treatment volume
• Moisture control (range 40-60% wb)
• 90% odor reduction
• 90% hydrogen sulfide reduction
• 80% ammonia reduction
Nicolai and Lefers, NPPC Report, 2008
Horizontal Biofilter
Vertical BiofilterSchmidt and Janni, Univ of Minn., 2009
How Moisture Level of Media Affects
Generation/Degradation in Biofilter
Nicolai, et al, 2008. Mitigating air emissions from animal feeding operations Conf.
Oxygen Level
Biofilm of sulfate-reducing, anaerobic bacteria Desulfovibrio
desulfuricans grown on a hematite surface
Biofilm in anaerobic methane generator
Biofilm on human tooth enamel
Scanning electron micrograph of Ceriporiopsis subvermisporamycelium on wood, Courtesy R.
Blanchett, University of Minnesota
Xylem vessels with bacteria aggregated along the walls. UV light
illuminates cytoplasm in cells.Sophie Grall and Charles Manceau. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2003, p. 1904-1912, Vol. 69, No. 4.
Kenaf, showing the open internal spaces containing microbial cells.
Distribution of physiological properties within an aggregate/particle. Lines represent isobars of O2
concentration (%). Coyne, 2010.
Typical Soil Aggregate Sylvia, et al. 2005. Prin. & Appl. Of Soil Micro.
Pearson. Upper Saddle, NJ.
Nitrification and Denitrification Processes:
NH3 NO2- NO3
-NH2OH
NON2ON2
Nitrification
Nitro
gen F
ixatio
n
NitrificationNitrification
De
nitrific
atio
n
DenitrificationDenitrification
Denitrification
Fungus has degraded some cells completely.
Diseases of Forest and Shade Trees©2006 Robert A. Blanchette
Increased total pore volume
Sawdust based compost~ 0.1 – 0.2 in
Water Activity ~ 1
Water Activity > 0.95
Water Activity < 0.90
GHG Production Affected by Moisture Content of Media
NH
3Degr
adation
and
CH
4Gene
ration
(g/
m3h)
N2 O
Gene
ration (g/m
3h)
0.9
0.91
0.92
0.93
0.94
0.95
0.96
0.97
0.98
0.99
1
0
5
10
15
20
25
30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Wate
r Act
ivity
Pore
Diamete
r (µ
m)
Compost Moisture Content (%-wb)
Maximum Pore Diameter (µm) Water Activity
Multi-Stage Biofilter Concept
• Application to deep beds
• Finer texture media ~ 0.1 – 0.2 in
• Higher pressure drops~ 1 – 3 “ H2O
• Smaller footprint
Humidified Air Stream
• Moisture measurement with capacitance wire-grid plates
• Position capacitance plates
• Soaker hose configuration
• Soaker hose position Funk, U of Ill, 2010
To maintain aerobic conditions in biofilter media a minimum of 100 parts of oxygen should be provided for each part of oxidizable gas (Williams and Miller 1992)