Electrochemical mitigation of hydrogen sulfide in deep-pit swine manure storage.

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a toxic and hazardous gas and is commonly present in livestock operations, which occasionally causes associated exposure accidents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of electrochemical control of H2S in lab-scale swine manure storage using different electrode materials, and further selected suitable materials to demonstrate the performance of a pilot-scale field test in the deep-pit manure storage of a 200-head swine barn. In the lab-scale test, electrochemical sulfide oxidation mainly contributed to the H2S mitigation, resulting in high H2S removal efficiencies when using low carbon steel (LCS) and stainless steel 304 (SS304) as electrodes. Based on their better H2S treatment performance and lower material costs, LCS and SS304 were selected for the pilot-scale test. In a 92-day operation, the pilot-scale demonstration showed H2S removal efficiencies of 84.0% and 63.5% for LCS and SS304, respectively. A techno-economic assessment indicated that the installation and operation of the electrochemical system accounted for 16% of barn construction cost using LCS as electrodes. Further optimization may substantially decrease the electrode material consumption and the overall cost.