Ammonia Emission Monitoring for Livestock HousingAt concentrations usually found in livestock facilities (<100 ppm), ammonia acts as a chronic stressor that directly influences the growth of healthy young animals. Investing in a monitoring system to reduce and control aerial ammonia has a rapid return on investment from increased growth and yield. In livestock facilities, ammonia results primarily from the breakdown of urea (present in urine) by the enzyme urease (excreted in feces). In poultry, urease is excreted with uric acid. Undigested feed protein and wasted feed are additional sources of ammonia in animal production systems. Methods for the reduction of ammonia from animal housing focus primarily on preventing ammonia formation and volatilization, or downwind transmission of ammonia after it is volatilized. Agriculture is a specific sector producing 70 to 95% of total ammonia quantity in the world. Using ventilation techniques that create low air velocities around surfaces exposed to manure will also help reduce ammonia emissions. Air speeds across manure-covered surfaces should be minimized since the amount of ammonia gas given off by manure is increased with air speed. Control of speed can be accomplished by measuring the ammonia concentration and couple that information into the fan controller. Ventilation can then be controlled to stay below an adjustable set point. Using the Andros 6550 Ammonia measurement information to control fans provides the advantage of being able to automatically adjust air flow in response to changes in the conditions that produce ammonia. Why Control Ammonia Emissions? (from: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex12072#Why)
Ammonia emissions decrease the nutrient value of manure and represent a significant loss of fertilizer value. The emissions have a negative effect on the environment such as soil acidification and eutrophication of surface water (water is nutrient-rich, supporting plant life that kills animal life by depriving it of oxygen).
Ammonia that is lost to the atmosphere combines with nitric acid to form aerosol nitrate, which contributes significantly to total particulate matter. These particles have serious effects on human health and cause air quality impairment.
Ammonia poses a threat to both animals and agricultural workers in livestock facilities. It is a significant respiratory hazard for workers who experience continuous, long-term exposure to the gas at concentrations greater than 25 parts per million (ppm). In addition to respiratory effects, ammonia can cause skin and eye irritation and displace oxygen in the bloodstream. Long-term exposure to ammonia can cause pneumonia. BioGas Measurement and Control Some of the major sources of methane emissions from agriculture are: livestock enteric (intestinal) fermentation, livestock waste management, rice cultivation, and agricultural waste burning. Of these, livestock waste management offers the most viable, near-term opportunities for methane recovery and utilization. Methane released from manure management systems can be captured and used as clean energy to produce electricity or to fuel gas-fired equipment such as engines, boilers, or chillers, which can meet part of a farm's energy requirements. This is preferable to flaring of the methane as a waste gas of simply letting it escape to the atmosphere where its green house gas effect is 20 times stronger than CO2. With today's technology, a wide range of opportunities exists internationally to abate livestock waste methane emissions at zero or negative economic cost. Using low cost NDIR technology to monitor and/or control the capture and use of this valuable resource can greatly improve combustion efficiency to allow the maximum energy extraction from an otherwise uncontrolled, environmentally harmful waste gas. The Andros 6511 NDIR bench and electronics is such a product. Capable of measuring low (10 ppm) concentrations of methane for system leak identification up to 100% methane concentrations for combustion control, the Andros 6511 also includes CO2 and CO measurement with capability to add O2 measurement. These four (4) combined gas measurements can provide precise measurement and control of fuel air ratio to ensure maximum energy extraction of the methane being produced. Along with gaining some level of energy independence, farms can achieve other benefits related to improved livestock waste management such as lower overall costs to maintain healthy livestock.
|
