Characterization of Volatile Organic Emissions and Wastes from a Swine Production Facility

Abstract

AbstractAnalytical methods for monitoring the volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, for defining atmospheric transport coefficients, and for monitoring solution phase chemistry have been developed to define processes regulating emission of malodorous and other VOCs from a high odor swine production facility. Of the 40 organic compounds identified in liquid and outdoor air samples from the swine production facility, 27 VOCs were confirmed to contribute to decreased air quality in the vicinity of the facility. Specifically, C2 through C9 organic acids demonstrated the greatest potential for decreased air quality, since these compounds exhibited the highest transport coefficients and highest airborne concentrations. Flux measurements suggested that the total rate of nonmethane VOC emissions from the deep basin swine waste storage system was 500‐ to 5700‐fold greater than established nonmethane VOC fluxes from nonanthropogenic sources. The volatilization rate of malodorous and other VOCs from the stored swine waste was positively correlated with wind velocity between 0.2 and 9.4 m s−1, and a maximum concentration of VOCs present in the air was observed to occur at a wind velocity of 3.6 m s−1. Experimental Henry's law coefficients adequately predicted the transport efficiency observed for some of the VOC emissions measured from air samples taken at 0, 25, and 100 m from the swine waste storage basin; however, results indicated that laboratory‐based extraction procedures, currently used to estimate malodor potential for swine slurry samples, provide an inaccurate representation of malodorous and other airborne VOCs actually present in the air near swine production facilities.