Concentration, Size Distribution and Electrostatic Charge of Laying Hen House Particulate Matter

Abstract

Published data on indoor air contaminants in livestock buildings in Saudi Arabia are relatively scarce. The main objective of this study was to determine the airborne concentrations of particles and electrostatic charge acquired by airborne particles in a multiple tier housing system (Manure Belt Cage System) under the climatic conditions of Saudi Arabia. In this house, the mean of total suspended particle (TSP) concentration was 0.99 mg/m3, the PM10 concentration (particulate matter with a diameter less than or equal to 10 µm) was 0.47 mg/m3, and the PM2.5 concentration (particulate matter with a diameter less than or equal to 2.5 µm) was 0.05 mg/m3. The particle size distribution results obtained from the layer house revealed that the GMD (geometric mean diameter) was 6.95 µm, based on the mass concentration of the particles. Alternatively, based on the number concentration of particles, the GMD was 0.82 µm. The cumulative percentage of mass concentration for the particles ranging from 0.3–10 ?m showed that the major fraction of the particles was larger than 2.5 ?m (>85%). The net charge-to-mass ratio (qN) of airborne particles was -0.86 mC/kg (s.d.=0.27). The measured qN value of airborne particles in the layer house varied due to the nature of the particles in addition to the environmental conditions and high concentration of airborne particles inside the poultry housing. In general, PM concentrations did not exceed the recommended values and those cited in literature.