Innovative technology for ammonia abatement from livestock buildings using advanced oxidation processes

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Air Pollution Control
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Livestock buildings generate significant ammonia emissions, contributing to air pollution and environmental concerns.
• Current waste air treatment methods for ammonia in livestock facilities are limited and often inefficient.
• Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) present a potential solution for effective ammonia abatement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of a two-step AOP system for ammonia removal from livestock building air.
• To assess the performance of the AOP unit under varying ammonia concentrations and air flow rates.
• To determine the cost-effectiveness of the proposed AOP technology for ammonia abatement.

Main Methods:

• Pilot plant experiments utilizing a two-step reactor: a dry photolytic reactor (UV185/UV254/O3) followed by a photochemical scrubber (UV254/H2O2).
• Testing the system with initial ammonia concentrations of 20 and 35 ppmv and air flow rates of 150, 300, and 450 m³·h⁻¹.
• Quantifying ammonia removal efficiency and determining cost-performance metrics.

Main Results:

• The second step of the AOP system achieved approximately 90% ammonia removal, even at the highest air flow rate (450 m³·h⁻¹).
• Complete ammonia removal was observed after 15 hours of irradiation without the need for pH adjustment or additives.
• The cost for reducing ammonia emissions by one order of magnitude was determined to be €0.002 per cubic meter of treated air.

Conclusions:

• The investigated two-step AOP system demonstrates high efficiency and cost-effectiveness for ammonia abatement in livestock buildings.
• AOPs are a promising and viable technology for treating ammonia emissions from agricultural sources, addressing a gap in current waste air treatment.
• The technology offers a sustainable approach to mitigating ammonia pollution from livestock operations.