Ammonium Ion Distribution in Suspended Particulate Matter From a Poultry House Using Rice Hulls as Bedding Materials.

Ammonia emission and subsequent deposition can be a major source of pollution, causing nitrogen enrichment, acidification of soils and surface waters, and aerosol formation.  In the poultry house, ammonia emissions can also adversely affect the health, performance, and welfare of both animals and human operators.  The persistent and long life expectancy of ammonia, odors and toxic pollutants from poultry houses may be due to the ability of suspended particulate matters (SPM) to serve as carriers for odorous compounds such as ammonium ions and volatile fatty acids.  SPM is generated from the feed, animal manure, and the birds themselves.  A large portion of odor associated with exhaust air from poultry houses is SPM that have absorbed odors from within the houses.  Understanding the fate and transport processes of ammonia emissions in poultry houses is a necessary first step in utilizing the appropriate abatement strategies.  In this study, the examination and characterization of ammonium ions, major components of odors and toxic gases from poultry operations, in suspended particulate matter (SPM) from a broiler house were carried out using particle trap impactors. The SPMs from the particle trap impactors were extracted and analyzed for its ionic species using ion chromatography (IC).  The results showed that fractions of ammonium ions in SPM reached maximum during the middle of flock cycle and increased in magnitude over several successive flocks. Similar trends were observed for other ionic species such as nitrate, phosphate, and sulphate.