The annual number of odor complaints increased about 10 times over 14 years from 4,302 in 2005 to 40,854 in 2019, in Korea. Especially, livestock facilities account for more than 50% of the odor complaints and the swine farms account for the most odor complaints among livestock. It is therefore necessary to manage swine farms as the major odor emission source. In this study, a real-time odor monitoring system equipped with PTR-TOF-MS (proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometric) was used to measure the odorous substances in two swine farms. Odorous substances emitted from outlets were sampled and measured at the two types of swine farms. In addition, the boundary spots were designated as measurement points. As a result, the rankings of the odorous substances in order, from highest to lowest, were ammonia, acetaldehyde, methyl mercaptan, fatty acids, etc. and the level of odor intensity was 0.8-4.4 at the outlet of the swine farms. The concentration at the boundary decreased between 1/100 ~ 1/10000 compared to the concentration emitted from outlets. Base on the results of evaluating odor activity values, Skatole and p-Cresol were estimated as major odor substances in swine farms.

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of Chamaecyparis obtus extract to reduce odor emissions released from the swine feeding operations. Finisher pigs [Landrace × (Yorkshire × Duroc)] with an initial body weight averaging 50 kg were housed separately in two rooms with eighty eight pigs in each room at a swine feeding operation site. C. obtus extract was sprayed in the room by ceiling sprayer for one minute at twice per day during two months. Concentrations of odorous compounds from air in the room of the swine feeding operation were analyzed at four times during two months. Levels of butyric acid, valeric acid, i-butyric acid, ivaleric acid, skatole, methylmercaptan, and trimethylamine tended to decrease in C. obtus extract spray treatment group compared to the non-spray treatment group (P > 0.05). Odor activity values of butyric acid, valeric acid, skatole and trimethylamine were higher than other odorous compounds and decreased by 72%, 76%, 54% and 20%, respectively, in C. obtus extract spray treatment group compared to the non-spray group. Taken together, C. obtus extract showed an odor reducing capability in the air of a swine feeding operation suggesting that it possesses anti-bacterial properties as well as having a dust removal and masking effect.