animal and poultry
waste management research:
a progress report

Biofilter for Removing Odorous Compounds in Exhaust from Swine Buildings
The Animal and Poultry Waste-Management Center

Biofilters made of yard-waste compost and wood chips were installed at the university's Lake Wheeler Road Swine Educational Unit. Air from a swine building manure pit was directed through the filters, which were made of three parts yard-waste compost to one part wood chips. The biofilters reduced the intensity of odor and the intensity of odor irritation while improving the pleasantness of odor from the swine building. Odors were collected on cotton swatches that absorbed odor. A panel of trained odor evaluators at Duke University evaluated odor for intensity, irritation intensity and pleasantness. According to panel evaluations, biofilters reduced odor intensity by 61 percent. Odor irritation intensity was reduced by 58 percent, and the pleasantness of odor improved by 84 percent. While biofilters show promise as a means of managing odor from swine buildings, it is not clear whether using biofilters is an economically feasible means of managing odor. Increased air pressure is necessary to move air through a biofilter. Larger fans than are now typically used in swine buildings or other devices will be necessary to move air through biofilters. The use of fans or other air-moving equipment will increase energy costs, which may mean biofilters will be too expensive to employ as an odor-management tool.

Funding: $16,233
Source: North Carolina Agricultural Research Service
Status: Completed

Principal Investigator: Dr. John J. Classen, assistant professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University, phone: (919) 515-6800, fax: (919) 515-7760, email: JOHN_CLASSEN@NCSU.EDU

Co-investigators: Dr. Robert W. Bottcher, professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University; Dr. Phillip W. Westerman, professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University

Collaborators: Dr. Jerome J. Perry, professor, Microbiology, North Carolina State University; Dr. James C. Barker, professor and extension specialist, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University; Dr. Larry F. Stikeleather, professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University