Skip to main content
Article
Odor Mitigation with Tree Buffers: Swine Production Case Study
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
  • Guillermo Hernandez, United States Department of Agriculture
  • Steven Trabue, United States Department of Agriculture
  • Thomas J. Sauer, United States Department of Agriculture
  • Richard Pfeiffer, United States Department of Agriculture
  • John Tyndall, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
3-1-2012
DOI
10.1016/j.agee.2011.12.002
Abstract

Vegetative environmental buffers (VEB) are a potentially low cost sustainable odor mitigation strategy, but there is little to no data supporting their effectiveness. Wind tunnel experiments and field monitoring were used to determine the effect VEB had on wind flow patterns within a swine facility. Particle and odorous compound concentrations were monitored before and after the VEB. Wind tunnel experiments indicated that building orientation had about the same impact on air flow patterns as the combined buildings and VEB. Field monitoring studies revealed that air flow patterns at a swine facility were dynamic showing intense instability during the heat of the day, but stable air in the evening hours indicating that air during the day was controlled by vertical movement into the atmosphere while in the evening air patterns show a collapse mostly horizontal movement. Total particle counts before and after the vegetative buffer were reduced by over 40% and odorous compound concentrations for volatile fatty acids, phenol and indole compounds were reduced by 40–60%. Plant material taken from trees in the vegetative buffer showed no significant loading gradients between materials facing the swine facility and those opposite the swine facility. There were significantly higher loadings of odorous VFAs, phenolic, and indole compounds on plant material for samples taken from 2.7 m compared to samples taken from either 0.6 or 1.3 m indicating that vertical transport was major transport mechanism for odor at the swine facility.

Comments

This article is from Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 149 (2012): 154, doi:10.1016/j.agee.2011.12.002.

Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Guillermo Hernandez, Steven Trabue, Thomas J. Sauer, Richard Pfeiffer, et al.. "Odor Mitigation with Tree Buffers: Swine Production Case Study" Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment Vol. 149 (2012) p. 154 - 163
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john_tyndall/20/