Removal of Ammonia and Airborne Culturable Bacteria by Proof-of-Concept Windbreak Wall with Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water Spray for a Layer Breeding House

Abstract

<abstract> <b><i>Abstract. </i></b> Air contaminants emitted from animal buildings may harm the environment and public health. A windbreak wall with slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) sprayed downwind of the exhaust fans offers a potential approach for the removal of some of these air contaminants, including ammonia and airborne culturable bacteria (CB). This study was conducted to investigate the removal efficiency of ammonia and airborne CB by a proof-of-concept windbreak wall with SAEW spray for a layer breeding house. A windbreak wall with spraying system was placed downwind of an exhaust fan. Tap water and SAEW, a novel environment-friendly disinfectant, were used in the spraying system. Separate sampling manifolds for ammonia and airborne CB were placed at the inlet and the outlet of the windbreak wall, respectively, for ammonia and CB sampling. The windbreak wall with water spray and 70 mg L^-1 (available chlorine concentration) SAEW spray both significantly reduced ammonia emissions from the house though the removal was small. The 70 mg L^-1 SAEW spray showed a numerically higher ammonia removal efficiency (13.2%) than water spray (8.8%), but no significant difference was found (p = 0.13). The windbreak wall with 70 mg L^-1 and 100 mg L^-1 SAEW spray both significantly and moderately reduced airborne CB emission from the layer breeding house (p < 0.01) but the two SAEW concentrations yielded similar removal efficiencies (~40%). Additional design improvements are needed to increase the removal efficiency of pollutants. An improved windbreak wall with SAEW spray could be a promising technique for reducing emissions from animal houses.