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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #120714
Title: USE OF A PERMEABLE COVER FOR REDUCING AMMONIA AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE EMISSIONS FROM A SWINE LAGOON IN CENTRAL MISSOURI

Author
item ZAHN, JAMES
item TUNG, ALBERT - MONSANTO
item ROBERTS, BRENT - MONSANTO
item HATFIELD, JERRY

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/19/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The purpose of this research was to determine the efficiency of a polymer biocover for abatement of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) emissions from an east-central Missouri swine lagoon with a total surface area of 7,800 m2. The flux rate of NH3, H2S, and methane (CH4) was monitored continuously from two adjacent, circular (d = 66 m) control and treatment plots using a nonintrusive, micrometeorological method during three independent sampling periods that ranged between 52 and 149 hours. Abatement rates were observed to undergo a temporal acclimation event, where NH3 abatement efficiency improved from 17% to 54% (p<0.0001 to 0.0005) and H2S abatement efficiency improved from 23% to 58% (p<0.0001) over a period of 3 months. The increase in abatement efficiency for NH3 and H2S over the sampling period was correlated with the development of a stable anaerobic floc layer on the bottom surface of the biocover that reduced mass transfer of NH3 and H2S across the surface. Analysis of methanogensis activity showed that the biocover enhanced the rate of anaerobic digestion by 25% when compared to the control. The biocover- enhanced anaerobic digestion process was shown to represent an effective mechanism to counteract accumulation of methanogenic substrates in the biocovered lagoon.