The effectiveness of an aerated, submerged bio-blanket for controlling the release of odorous and volatile compounds from pig manure storage lagoons was examined. Hydrogen peroxide was used as an oxidizing agent to simulate aeration by increasing the dissolved oxygen level in the bio-blanket. Commercially available dry aerobic microbes were added into the bio-blanket, aimed at increasing the aerobic population. Results showed that adding hydrogen peroxide did not establish an aerobic environment in the bio-blanket, and that the addition of aerobic microbes did not enhance the levels of aerobic bacteria in the bio-blanket. The decrease in volatile fatty acids could have been caused via direct oxidation by the H2O2 added, which resulted in odour thresholds lower than those of control samples by up to 65%. The effect of this bio-blanket on the atmospheric emissions of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide (and on other parameters of the liquid, such as total and ammonia nitrogen, pH, and total and volatile solids) was not significant.
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