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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #399309
Research Project: Strategies to Manage Feed Nutrients, Reduce Gas Emissions, and Promote Soil Health for Beef and Dairy Cattle Production Systems of the Southern Great Plains

Location: Livestock Nutrient Management Research

Title: Evaluation of an air cleaning device equipped with filtration and UV: comparison of removal efficiency on particulate matter and viable airborne bacteria in a poultry facility

Author
item LI, PEIYANG - Iowa State University
item Koziel, Jacek
item MACEDO, NUBIA - Iowa State University
item ZIMMERMAN, JEFFREY - Iowa State University
item WRZESINSKI, DANIELL - Iowa State University
item SOBOTKA, ERIN - Iowa State University
item BALDERAS, MATEO - Iowa State University
item WALZ, WILLIAM - Iowa State University
item PARIS, REID VINCENT - Iowa State University
item LEE, MYEONGSEONG - Texas A&M University
item LIU, DONGJIE - Iowa State University
item YEDILBAYEV, BAUYRZHAN - Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
item RAMIREZ, BRETT - Iowa State University
item JENKS, WILLIAM - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2022
Publication Date: 11/10/2022
Citation: Li, P., Koziel, J.A., Macedo, N., Zimmerman, J.J., Wrzesinski, D., Sobotka, E., Balderas, M., Walz, W.B., Paris, R., Lee, M., Liu, D., Yedilbayev, B., Ramirez, B.C., Jenks, W.S. 2022. Evaluation of an air cleaning device equipped with filtration and UV: comparison of removal efficiency on particulate matter and viable airborne bacteria in a poultry facility [abstract]. Iowa Egg Industry Symposium, November 10, 2022, Ames, IA. Paper No. 5.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Indoor air quality is crucial to human and animal health in residential and work-related settings. Since COVID-19 became a pandemic, improving indoor air quality (IAQ) has become vital for the public as the SARS-CoV-2 virus and other infectious diseases transmit via inhalable aerosols. Air cleaning devices with filtration and targeted pollutant treatment capabilities can help improve IAQ. However, only a few filtration/UV devices have been formally tested for their effectiveness, and little data is publicly available. We modified a particulate matter (PM) air filtration prototype by adding UV-C (germicidal) light and selected realistic scenarios and metrics to quantify the mitigation effect on viable airborne bacteria and PM in a poultry facility. The targeted PM included total suspended particulate (TSP) and a coarse-to-fine range sized at PM10, PM4, PM2.5, and PM1. The experimental protocol was set up to compare the PM and viable airborne bacteria concentrations between the inlet and outlet of the prototype at 0.5 and 1.0 m3/s (low and high) airflow modes. The upgraded prototype inactivated nearly 100% of viable airborne bacteria and removed up to 96.7% of TSP, 90.9% of PM10, 87.3% of PM4, 86.9% of PM2.5, and 87.5% of PM1. The performance in the low flow rate mode was generally better than in the high flow rate mode. However, the longer-term impact of the air cleaning prototype on indoor air quality would be more representative and meaningful. Therefore, Part II of the research focused on quantifying longer-term IAQ improvement in a poultry facility. The results showed that during a 25-day assessment, an average of 55% reduction of TSP concentration between non-operating days (110 µg/m3) and operating days (49 µg/m3). An average of 47% reduction of total airborne viable bacteria concentrations was achieved between non-operating days (3,191 CFU/m3) and operating days (2,025 CFU/m3).