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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Odour, dust and non-methane volatile organic-compound emissions from tunnel-ventilated layer-chicken sheds: a case study of two farms

Mark Dunlop A B D , Zoran D. Ristovski C , Erin Gallagher A , Gavin Parcsi B , Robin L. Modini C , Victoria Agranovski C and Richard M. Stuetz B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), PO Box 102 Toowoomba, Qld 4350, Australia.

B UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

C International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, Qld 4000, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: mark.dunlop@daff.qld.gov.au

Animal Production Science 53(12) 1309-1318 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN12343
Submitted: 28 September 2012  Accepted: 14 April 2013   Published: 30 May 2013

Journal Compilation © CSIRO Publishing 2013 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

An observational study was undertaken to measure odour and dust (PM10 and PM2.5) emission rates and identify non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and odorants in the exhaust air from two tunnel-ventilated layer-chicken sheds that were configured with multi-tiered cages and manure belts. The study sites were located in south-eastern Queensland and the West Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Samples were collected in summer and winter on sequential days across the manure-belt cleaning cycle. Odour emissions ranged from 58 to 512 ou/s per 1000 birds (0.03–0.27 ou/s.kg) and dust emission rates ranged 0.014–0.184 mg/s per 1000 birds for PM10 and 0.001–0.190 mg/s per 1000 birds for PM2.5. Twenty NMVOCs were identified, including three that were also identified as odorants using thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/olfactometry analysis. Odour emission rates were observed to vary with the amount of manure accumulation on the manure belts, being lowest 2–4 days after removing manure. Odour emission rates were also observed to vary with diurnal and seasonal changes in ventilation rate. Dust emissions were observed to increase with ventilation rate but not with manure accumulation. Some NMVOCs were identified at both farms and in different seasons whereas others were observed only at one farm or in one season, indicating that odorant composition was influenced by farm-specific practices and season.

Additional keywords: aerial dust, emission rate, olfactometry, particulate matter.


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