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DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF AN INEXPENSIVE CHAMBER FOR ANALYSIS OF VOLATILE ORGANIC CARBON. B.L. Woodbury, D.N. Miller, R.A. Eigenberg and J.A. Nienaber USDA ARS US Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska USA. The Problem The Feedlot Environment. Spatial & temporal variation:
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DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF AN INEXPENSIVE CHAMBER FOR ANALYSIS OF VOLATILE ORGANIC CARBON B.L. Woodbury, D.N. Miller, R.A. Eigenberg and J.A. Nienaber USDA ARS US Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska USA
The ProblemThe Feedlot Environment • Spatial & temporal variation: • Moisture • Temperature • Soil characteristics • Manure deposition
VFAs (Straight & Branch Chain) Acetate Octanoate Isobutyrate, Isovalerate Sulfides Hydrogen sulfide Methyl sulfides Aromatics Benzoates Indoles Phenols Amides Ammonia Methylamines Diamines Alcohols (Straight & Branch Chain) Ethanol, Propanol, Butanol, etc. The ProblemPotential Gaseous Emissions from Feedlot Surface
ObjectivesFeedlot Surface Emissions • Design a cost-effective headspace chamber suitable for laboratory and field studies • Evaluate its flow characteristics
Design Criteria • Portable for use either in lab or field • Internal distribution system to ensure completely mixed conditions • Septa port for gas sampling (i.e., SPME) • Acid trap to collect ammonia • Calculate relative emission rates • Battery operated
The Design“The Real Salad Bowl Study” • Hemispherical headspace chamber • Measure VOC w/SPME • Ammonia trap
Tracer Study • Total headspace volume (V) 7.6 L • Flow rate (Q) 1.18 L min-1 RT = V/Q • 50 ml CH4 injection pulse • Analyzed using a GC/MS with HID detector
CH4 Break-Through-Curve • At 1 dilution • 32% • At 3 dilutions • 5% • Ideal reactor • 37 & 5%, respectively 32% 5%
Theoretical And Experimental Headspace Chamber Properties HRT V Q (min) (L) (L min-1) Calculated 6.5 7.6 1.16 Experimental 6.3 7.3 1.16
Gaseous Output Microbiologist: One return port would be enough Engineers: Four would be better
Gaseous Output • Linear with manure surface area
Conclusions • Chamber design performed similar to an ideal continuous flow stirred reactor • Concentrations measured at sampling port are indicative of concentrations anywhere in headspace • Chamber was found to be reasonably stable over wide range of flow rates • Linear with respect to surface area of manure • Cost per unit approx. $400.00
Laboratory Studies • Field Studies
Laboratory StudiesFresh Manures: Cattle vs. Swine Cattle—Ground corn/corn silage 15 10 5 Abundance, peak area x 106 Swine—Grower diet 15 10 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Run time, minutes
Laboratory StudiesVolatiles Composition & Cattle Diets Ground corn/corn silage diet 15 10 5 Abundance, peak area x 106 Alfalfa maintenance diet 15 10 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Run time, minutes
Laboratory StudiesManure Incubation Incubated Fresh Cattle—Ground corn/corn silage diet 15 10 5 Swine—Grower diet 15 10 Abundance, peak area x 106 5 Cattle—Alfalfa maintenance diet 15 10 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Run time, minutes Run time, minutes
S TX RX Field StudiesPrecision Feedlot Surface Management • Manure can be from 10 to 100 times more conductive than typical soil Electromagnetic Induction Principles The transmitter coil (TX) is placed near the earth and is energized with an alternating current. The small currents induced into the earth generate a secondary signal which is picked up by a receiver coil (RX) at a distance S away. The ratio of the two signals gives a measure of the soil’s conductivity beneath the two coils.
2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 2 1.9 1.8 1.7 Mound 1.6 June 2004 July 2004 1.5 October 2004 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 Mound Mound Waterer 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 Bunk Waterer Waterer Bunk Bunk
Area based on Conductivity Less than 25% of the area is high conductivity High Conductivity = Manure Accumulation? Low High
Ammonia Flux Across Pen 8X more VOC Feedlot pen NH3 flux M/m2/hr MOUND Sample Location BUNK
Feedlot Survey in Cooperation with ARS-USDA, Bushland, TX Target our management strategies?