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Research Summaries

Manure Treatment

Research Purpose

The purpose of research is to develop a cost effective surface aeration system to control liquid manure odor from open storage facilities.

Activities

Extensive lab experiments were carried out to develop a new aerator module consisting of 6 venturi air injectors. The work has been completed and the module has been tested in both water and liquid manure. Other than the aerator module, the aeration frame composed of a PVC piping structure was also developed and built with holes on the pipes determined based on fluid dynamics to ensure even distribution of oxygenated water in the surface area. Limited field tests for the entire aeration system were also conducted and data obtained.

What We Have Learned

This aerator module has significantly increased the aeration efficiency without increasing the power consumption, leading to the establishment of an aerated layer in top lagoon liquid with a constant level of dissolved oxygen of greater than 0.3 mg/L at a depth 6” from the liquid surface. According to the data collected in last summer, the aerated liquid layer, as expected, worked effectively as a biological cover that prevented odorous compounds from escaping from the liquid, hence the reduction of odor emissions.

Based on the air samples collected from both the treated and control areas from the experimental lagoon and analyzed at the Olfactometry Lab in the Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota, the reduction in detection odor threshold has reached about 67% shortly after the start of the aeration operation.

Why is This Important?

Odors generated from anaerobic lagoons have been a long-term issue that has been studied for years but without effective techniques in place to deal with it. The failure in controlling odors emitted from such manure storage structures has caused numerous lawsuits and soured the relationship between animal farmers and their neighboring residents. With the mounting pressures from the public and regulatory agencies, the sustainability and productivity of animal producers using lagoons for manure storage will be jeopardized and social ties strained if acceptable levels of odor reduction are not achieved.

For More Information

Contact us at Jun Zhu, zhuxx034@umn.edu or (507)837-5625. For more information, read the following articles:

Zhu, J., C. F. Miller, C. Dong, X. Wu, L. Wang, S. Mukhtar. 2007. Aerator Module Development Using Venturi Air Injectors to Improve Aeration Efficiency. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 23(5): 661-667.

Zhu, J., C. Miller, C. Dong, X. Wu, L. Wang, and S. Mukhtar. 2007. Development of an Aerator Module to Control Odor from Liquid Manure Storage Facilities. ASABE paper#: 074054. Minneapolis, MN, June 18-20, 2007.

This report was prepared for the annual meeting of the regional research committee, S-1032 "Animal Manure and Waste Utilization, Treatment and Nuisance Avoidance for a Sustainable Agriculture". This report is not peer-reviewed and the author has sole responsibility for the content.