This study evaluated the effectiveness of odor reduction when spraying inside the Bio-curtain (hereinafter referred to as curtain) according to the exhaust fan operating rate. Spraying is a main factor affecting the ability to odor reduction of curtains. The curtain (total area: 37.9m3) was constructed with two layers of light-shielding screens stretched over a rectangular parallelepiped structure installed around an exhaust fan (630 mm) on the side wall of a pig barn. Air samples for odor analysis were collected from inside the pig barn and outside the curtain. The main odorous compounds such as volatile fatty acids, phenols, indoles, and ammonia were measured. The odor reduction effectiveness was evaluated by total odor activity values (TOAVs) summed to the odor activity values of each odorous compounds. Depending on the exhaust fan operating rate, the reduced rate of TOAVs gradually decreased to the range between 15.67% and 68.80%. Because the contact time between the spraying liquid and the air velocity of the exhaust fan becomes shorter (or there is a reduction in liquid to gas flow ratio) as the exhaust fan operating rate increases. The results of this study can be used as basic data for research into spraying conditions to improve the odor reduction effectiveness of curtains.

This study evaluates the ammonia (NH3) reduction effect of Bio-curtains (hereinafter referred to as curtains) utilized for odor control in pig farms based on the distance outside the curtain and the spraying condition. The curtain (total area: 37.9m3) was constructed with two layers of light-shielding screens stretched over a rectangular parallelepiped structure installed around a ventilation fan (630 mm) on the side wall of a pig barn where 48 finishing pigs were reared. The real-time NH3 concentration was measured by using a photoacoustic spectrometer. In the first part of this study, the NH3 measurement position for each side of the curtain was selected based on the lowest standard deviation among 4 to 8 initial sampling points on the surface of the curtain and utilized for both experiments of distance and spraying. In the experiment concerning the distance outside the curtain, ammonia concentration decreased by 17.45% at 2m compared to the distance at 5 cm and by 6.94% at 4m compared to 2m on average. In contrast, the NH3 reduction rate for each distance compared to the ventilation fan was the lowest at the 100% operating rate in which the exhausted NH3 concentration from the ventilation fan was low. At this time, the spraying mist on the inside of the curtain increased the NH3 reduction rate by 4.98 to 10.36% compared to the non-spraying condition. Consequently, the NH3 be reduced as distance outside the curtain increases due to the diffusion effect caused by the surrounding wind and the spraying mist on the inside curtain on the dissolution of NH3.

Ammonia (NH3) is a basic gas in the atmosphere and is known to play an important role in producing adverse health and environmental effects. Atmospheric NH3 causes stunted livestock growth, decreased visibility, and induces lung diseases when high concentrations occur. In addition, atmospheric NH3 reacts with acidic species (sulfuric acid, nitric acid, etc.) and produces secondary inorganic aerosol. In this study, the NH3 concentration and ventilation of Rooms 1 to 3 inside a sow facility were measured during the period from March 25 to May 31, 2021. It was difficult to conduct long-term field experiments at housing where pigs are raised. However, in order to improve the accuracy and reliability of the data, repeated experiments were conducted in three pig rooms in the same environment. The average concentration of NH3 in Rooms 1 to 3 was measured to be 7.6 ± 2.7 ppm, 8.2 ± 2.8 ppm, and 8.2 ± 2.7 ppm, respectively. The average internal temperatures were 21.0 oC, 21.2 °C, and 21.8 °C, and the internal humidity was 49.3%, 49.2%, and 49.2%, respectively. The ventilation per pig in Rooms 1 to 3 was measured as 60.4m3/hour∙pig, 62.5m3/hour∙pig, and 64.9m3/hour∙pig, respectively. At this time, NH3 emissions from Rooms 1 to 3 were found to be 6.9 ± 0.8 g/day∙pig, 7.9 ± 1.5 g/day∙pig, and 8.2 ± 1.3 g/day∙pig, respectively. As a result of the correlation analysis, the NH3 concentration was analyzed as producing a negative correlation between the ventilation (r=-0.73) and the internal temperature (r=-0.60) increase. Finally, as a result of calculating the national NH3 emission factor, the NH3 emission of one sow room in spring was 7.7 ± 1.4 g/day∙pig, and the NH3 emission of one year was 2.8 kg/ year∙pig.