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Measurement of Particulate Emission Rates from Mechanically Ventilated Swine Barns

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Paper number  024209,  2002 ASAE Annual Meeting . (doi: 10.13031/2013.10529) @2002
Authors:   Bernardo Z. Predicala, Ronaldo G. Maghirang
Keywords:   air pollution, air quality, dust, emission, measurement, swine

Methods for measuring emission rates of particulate matter (PM) from mechanically ventilated livestock buildings were evaluated in the laboratory using a test chamber. Dust concentrations were measured inside the chamber and at the exhaust duct. Concentrations at the exhaust duct were determined using high-volume traverse downstream of the exhaust fan, lowvolume traverse downstream of the fan, and fixed sampling upstream and downstream of the fan. The high-volume traverse served as the reference method. Both traverse methods were conducted under isokinetic conditions; fixed sampling was done under both isokinetic and sub-isokinetic conditions. Results indicated that both room sampling and exhaust sampling under sub-isokinetic conditions severely overestimated exhaust dust concentrations. Additionally, the low-volume traverse and fixed sampling under isokinetic conditions agreed well with the high-volume traverse (difference ranging from 7.5-11.9%). Methods involving room sampling, fixed sampling at exhaust, and highvolume traverse at exhaust were also compared in a swine finishing barn. Room sampling overestimated concentrations at the exhaust, and dust concentration from fixed sampling did not differ significantly with the high-volume traverse method. It appears that fixed sampling under isokinetic conditions can be used as an alternative to the high-volume PM traverse method to accurately measure PM concentrations at the exhaust, from which the PM emission rate can be determined.

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