The emission of hazardous and odorous gases from outdoor hog manure basins is a regulatory and public nuisance concern for the pork production industry. Besides aerobic biological treatment and basin covers, few (if any) technologies are effective in controlling the emission of the wide range of gases responsible for legitimate odor complaints. The direct application of the aeration approaches used in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment results in unacceptably high operating costs. However, the conversion of existing outdoor hog manure basins into facultative lagoons designed and operated especially for odor control (instead of wastewater treatment) offers attractive economics. The proposed project will evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of a novel improvement to facultative lagoons that use low rate aeration. ANTICIPATED RESULTS & POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH The research project is expected to demonstrate that the improved low-rate aeration technology offers a cost-effective means of controlling the emission of offensive gases from hog manure basins. Implementation of the emission control technology will improve the sustainability of pork production by lessening the environmental impact of manure disposal, allowing for the economic growth of the industry, and by improving the well-being of rural communities. The emission control technology also has applications in sugar refining, diary and food processing industries.
