Project Number: 1902-11130-001-03
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2006
End Date: Aug 31, 2009

Objective:
To develop mathematical relationships that describe the major processes involved in the formation, release, and convective transfer of gaseous compounds found in dairy facilities, and to calibrate those relationships to accurately predict emissions from stored feeds, enteric fermentation in cattle, and manure surfaces in the barn, during storage, and following field application.

Approach:
Mathematical relationships will be derived that describe the biological, chemical, and physical processes involved in the formation, release, and transfer of the major gaseous compounds found in dairy facilities. These relationships will be derived based upon theoretical or scientific understanding of the processes where rates are controlled by the characteristics of the feed or manure and the surrounding environment. Parameters for these relationships will be determined from experimental emissions data being collected at Penn State and in other laboratories across the country and in Europe. After the relationships are developed and working parameters have been established, these models will be validated using independent data sets collected through experiments at these laboratories. These gaseous emission models will be developed with first priority on ammonia, second on hydrogen sulfide, third on volatile organic compounds, and finally greenhouse gases of methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Highest priority will also be given to the emissions occurring from animals, housing facilities, and manure storages. This order of priority is in agreement with the current priority needs of the dairy industry. As the project develops though, the work will expand to include all the major gases and all of the points of emission from dairy farms. As these individual models are developed and validated, they will be integrated in a simulation model that predicts emission levels throughout the year for each of the gaseous compounds as a function of the feed, manure, and animal management used on the farm.