Odor BMPS

Dr. Ron E. SheffieldLSU AgCenter

rsheffield@agcenter.lsu.edu225.205.4533

Odor Emission Sources • Livestock buildings• Manure storage

– Stockpiles, basins, lagoons• Land application sites • Method of land application• Feed storage• Mortality storage or

disposal areas

The FIDO Factors in Odor Assessment

Frequency (events/yr)

Intensity (dilutions to threshold)

Duration (hrs/event)

Offensiveness (subjective)

Handling Dairy Manure SOLID/SEMI-SOLID

HANDLINGLIQUID HANDLING

Outdoor lots and pens Free-stall barnFeedlot (barnlot) (manure with minimum or no bedding)

HousingFacility

Collection& Transfer

Gutter cleaningTractor scrape

Bucket loader

Scrape: tractor or cableChain conveyorAuger conveyorPiston pumpGravity channel

Slotted floor

Flush system

Liquid/solid separation

Storage

Stored within pen

Earthen basinConcrete pit or tankSteel tank

Concrete pit

Earthen basin or Lagoon

Plank wallConcrete slabCompost pile

Transport Box spreaderFlail spreader

Agitate

Tank wagon

Irrigation system

Box spreaderFlail spreader

UtilizationField spread on pasture or cropland

solidliquid

Compost pile

Technologies to Control Odor

• Prevent odor generation

• Capture or destroy odors before any release to the atmosphere

• Dispersion or disguise of odors

Buildings = Constant Source

• Land application– Occurs once or twice

a year– Impact is for short

period of time• Storages

– Releases decrease in cold weather

– Management may affect releases significantly

Buildings typically release a relatively constant amount of odors & gases compared to:

Odor Prevention Technologies

• Manure removal• Dust control• Anaerobic treatment• Aeration or Oxidation• Feed additives• Manure pit or lagoon additives• pH control

Frequent Manure Removal

Frequent removal of manure from floor surfaces reduces the generation of odors in a building.

Manure Separation• Why are you separating??• It’s not always about

loading……• Sand, grit, debris• Difficult to remove fine

particles/nutrients• Knowledge of flowrate is

critical• Efficiency?? Don’t believe

what you are told!!

Sources of Odor from Outdoor Lots• Open lots

• Manure stockpiles

• Disposal pits

• Land application areas

• Runoff holding ponds

• Anaerobic lagoons (liquid manure handling)

• DUST

Driver #1: Loose Manure Depth

Deep and soft

Thin and well compacted

Manure harvested within previous 3 days, < 1” deep

Wind

Manure not yet harvested, > 2” deep

Loose manure compounded by evening cow activity (Driver #2)

Driver #3: Manure Moisture Content

Moisture Dynamics Vary Within Corrals

Fee

d ap

ron

1 2 3 4

Water trough

High activity;High moisture

Low activity;Low moisture

Moisture Dynamics Vary Within Corrals (continued)F

eed

apro

n

1 2 3 4

Water trough

High activity;High moisture

Low activity;Low moisture

Raising the moisture content of a loose manure layer by 10% requires 6-9 gal/hd per 1 inch of loose manure depth depending on its bulk density.

Catch-Up Water Requirements

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

5 10 15 20 25 30 35Initial Moisture Content (% wet basis)

Wat

er R

equ

irem

ent

(gal

/hd

)

0.5"

1"

2"

4"

Odorousvolatiles Methane (CH4)

and other gases

Complete Anaerobic Digestion

Volatile

solids

Methane-producing bacteria

Acid-producing bacteria

Odorousvolatiles Methane (CH4)

and other gases

Incomplete Anaerobic Digestion

Volatile

solids

Methane-producing bacteria

Acid-producing bacteria

Limitations:• Design/Construction• Poor Management • Cold Temperatures

Treatment: Anaerobic Digestion

Treatment: High-rate Aeration

Treatment: “Compost” Systems

Chemical Additives to Manure for Odor and Gas Control

• Difficult to determine effectiveness of the many additives that are available

• Relatively few products have been shown to significantly reduce odor or gases like NH3.

• Products are available for addition to either liquid or solid manure.

• Concern over cost per animal per year

Chemical Additives to Manure for Odor and Gas Control

Effectiveness depended on specific irritant • Ammonia reduction in liquid manure

– 39 products were effective– 18 not effective

• Odor reduction– 22 helped– 33 did not

Technologies to Capture and Treat Odors

• Manure storage covers– “Biological” cover– Synthetic cover

• Mechanically ventilated production houses– Biofilters– Biomass filters– Washing walls

Straw cover being installed on a 4-acre lagoon in Iowa

Cross Section of Biological Cover

Effluent Anaerobic Zone

Solution Interface

Aerobic Zone 8 - 12” Straw Cover

Conventional Storage

“Biologically” Covered Storage

Effluent

Straw cover after 1 week

Geotextile Cover ~ $0.15/sq.ft. installed

BioCapTM

“Berm to Berm” Basin/Lagoon Cover$0.63/ft2 installed

Technologies to Disperse Odors

• Site Selection• Ventilation Design• Windbreak/Dustbreak Walls• Vegetated Wind Breaks• Perfumes• Masking Agents

Developed primarily for mechanically ventilated systems … but theory needs to be adopted for

open freestalls and corrals

Windbreak/Dustbreak Walls

Lagoon

LagoonSome dust will be deposited

Plume dispersion and breakup

Red Smoke Candle Showing Fan Airflow Toward Windbreak Wall on Swine Finishing Building

Red Smoke Showing Airflow Out of Windbreak Wall Enclosure

Air Dam: 1,000hd Finishing Barn

Open Face Biofilter: 400-hd Farrowing Barn, MN

Container BiofilterIn-Vessel Food Composting Site, MN

Most Complaints Arise from Land Application

WastewaterIrrigation

• Dilute 1:5 –10 H2O• Maximize droplet size

– Large nozzles– Low pressures

• Minimize distance droplets move through the air– Downward projecting

nozzles– Drops to put nozzles in

canopy or close to ground

• No wastewater irrigation if >10mph

Drop Hoses

Slurry Application

Application Method

Odor Threshold

Broadcast 2818

Plow 200

Harrow 131

Inject 32

Unmanured 50

Drop Hose Toolbar

Aerator Incorporator

Aerator tines

Manure applicators 7.5-inch spacing

InjectionRunning double disk injectors deeper covers manure better but also covers more crop residue.

InjectionDirect injection of manure is the most effective way to minimize gaseous emissions.

Sweep Injector

No Till Injector

Sweep Injector No-Till Injector

Soybean Stubble in SC Coastal Plain Applied at 60,000 gallons per hour

Odor Management Plans

Contents of OMP

• IDAHO– Facility Information– Facility Description

• Vicinity Map– Manure Management System

• Site Plan– Land Application System– Climatic Data– Facility Odor Sources– Tiered Odor Reduction– Public Involvement– Review

Facility Odor Sources• Bulleted List of potential odor sources

– General ranking of sources overall• Discussion of each source

– Why is it a source?– How much does it contribute?

• Justification for ranking

• Ranking– Surface area, frequency, duration, intensity– Other data – chemical comp., location, etc.

Tiered Odor Reduction

• Tiers– Enable facility to assess reduction techniques

“individually”– Prevents facility from spending large amounts

of money all at once• Allows to determine if more is needed

• IDAHO– 3-Tiered process

Tiered Odor Reduction

• 3-Tiers– Each tier identifies

• Odor reduction techniques– Justification – expected result

• How & when implemented• Sources impacted• Monitoring plan for BMP Evaluation

– Tier 1• Typically low cost BMP’s & management changes• Should attempt to address all major issues on facility

– Tier 2 & 3• Build on tier 1 – more expensive and intense

Public Involvement• Discretion of producer• Key item

– If public isn’t impacted, wouldn’t be developed• Prevention, animal & employee health

• Identify– How public will be involved

• Keep them aware of actions taken• How process is going

• OMP will not be successful w/o public satisfied

Review

• The final section of an OMP• Should describe

– How plan will be assessed– Who will assess– When each tier will be evaluated

• OMP is a working document– Should allow for change & flexibility– Should limit the impact on how the facility

functions

Take Home Message• Understanding the waste system is

essential– Can’t select appropriate reduction measures

w/o understanding system• Odor reduction - Operation & Management• Thoroughly investigate reduction

techniques before they are implemented• If public is not satisfied, OMP never truly

successful• Employ PREVENTION, not reaction