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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Bowling Green, Kentucky » Food Animal Environmental Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #189139
Title: REDUCTION OF MALODOROUS COMPOUNDS FROM LIQUID SWINE MANURE BY A MULTI-STAGED TREATMENT SYSTEM

Author
item Loughrin, John
item Szogi, Ariel
item Vanotti, Matias

Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/2006
Publication Date: 11/1/2006
Citation: Loughrin, J.H., Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B. 2006. Reduction of malodorous compounds from liquid swine manure by a multi-staged treatment system. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 22(6):867-873

Interpretive Summary: A full-scale swine wastewater treatment system was constructed to replace waste holding lagoons with a three-stage process of solids separation, nitrogen removal, and phosphorus recovery. Our study had the objectives of evaluating both the system’s efficiency for odor control and identifying water quality parameters that may also serve to indicate odor reduction. This report presents data on the concentration in liquid of six selected malodorous compounds that are known contributors to malodor and 15 water quality parameters at three successive stages of the treatment process. Measurement of the six odor compounds showed that the concentrations of malodorous compounds were reduced by almost 98% in the system effluent as compared to raw flushed manure. The majority of this odor reduction occurred during the nitrogen removal treatment. No single water quality parameter served as the sole indicator for the levels of all six odor compounds that we measured in wastewater. For most compounds, the levels of ammonia nitrogen and electrical conductivity measurements were highly correlated with reduction of malodor in wastewater. Seven out of 15 parameters measured (sCOD, sBOD, TKN, NH3-N, NO3-N, alkalinity, and EC) were found to be highly related to reduction of total measured odors. These results suggest that selected water quality parameters in swine wastewater could assist to evaluate odor control measures when no sensory analysis or appropriate analytical equipment is available.

Technical Abstract: A full-scale swine wastewater treatment system was designed and implemented to replace anaerobic lagoon treatment systems with a three-stage process of solids separation, biological nitrogen, and phosphorus recovery. Our study had the objectives of evaluating both the system’s efficiency for odor control and water quality parameters that better indicate odor reduction. This report presents data on the concentration in liquid of six selected malodorous (phenol, p-cresol, p-ethylphenol, p-propylphenol, indole, and skatole) compounds and 15 water quality parameters measured at the three successive stages of the treatment process. Solid phase extraction of odor compounds showed that the concentrations of malodorous compounds were reduced by almost 98% in the treated effluent as compared to raw flushed manure. The majority of this odor reduction occurred during biological N treatment. No single water quality parameter served as the sole indicator for the levels of all six odor compounds that we measured in wastewater. Except for phenol, the levels of ammonia nitrogen and electrical conductivity measurements were highly correlated with reduction of individual malodor concentrations in wastewater. Seven out of 15 parameters measured (sCOD, sBOD, TKN, NH3-N, NO3-N, alkalinity, and EC) were found to be highly related to reduction of total measured odors. These results suggest that selected water quality parameters in swine wastewater could assist to evaluate odor control measures when no sensory analysis or appropriate analytical equipment is available.