Air Quality from (Animal) Housing Units

Larry Jacobson, Professor
Steven Hoff, Associate Professor, Iowa State University
Carrie Tengman, Director, Environmental Services, National Pork Board (NPB)

Funding Source

National Center for Manure and Animal Waste Management, North Carolina State University

Objective

To measure downwind concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and odor from a pig finishing site for evaluation of air dispersion models (INPUFF2, CALPUFF, and AERMOD) that predict the downwind transport of these two airborne contaminants from a pig production site.

Need or Impact

Results of these projects will be used to develop and improve existing odor and H2S setback estimation tools that can be used by county and state officials to establish science-based setback distances from neighbors and property lines to meet existing state statues.

Project Status

Swine building’s odor and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emissions were monitored semi-continuously from an Iowa finishing facility which is part of the six-state IFAFS project. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations downwind from these Iowa buildings, at distances of 100 and 200 meters from the source, were monitored in October of 2003 continuously for approximately 30 days using existing MDA single point monitors at the site. Odor emissions measurements were also made during this 30-day monitoring period. Ambient odor concentrations were measured using field sniffers during this 30-day period. A weather station was present at each site for the IFAFS project that monitored wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric stability, and humidity.