There is a significant interest in mitigating odors from swine operations. Considering the layout of a typical swine barn, a simple, inexpensive, and effective technology is needed. Biochar is one such material capable of adsorbing odors. In addition, due to intensification of biomass to energy processes, it is expected that large amounts of biochar will be available. Hence in this research we evaluated biochar derived from pinewood, swine manure, and coconut shell as an adsorbent for mitigation of p-cresol as a model odorous volatile organic compound from swine lagoons. Specifically we investigated how much p-cresol can be removed using biochar, how fast can biochar adsorb p-cresol, and how much will it cost to remove a gram of p-cresol. Our research indicated that biochars can potentially remove 6-30 mg/g of p-cresol within 100-1440 min depending on the type of char employed. Considering the fact that p-cresol and other VOC concentrations concentration in a swine lagoons are normally less than 5 mg/L, biochar based adsorption may be considered a viable alternative for treating swine wastewater. Based on the predicted production of biochar by bioenergy industry it is estimated that biochar treatment may cost around $0.79/Kg of biochar. Our research is important to swine industry because it provides a practical method to mitigate odors from swine operations and improve the quality of life facilities, and enhance the image of swine farming in the community.
Contact information:
Praveen Kolar, Ph.D
North Carolina State University
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
278 Weaver Labs, Campus Box 7625
Raleigh, NC 27695-7625
Phone: 919-513-9797, Fax: 919-515-7760
Email: [email protected]