Simulation of Impacts of Different Animal Management Practices and Geographic Area on Long-Term Air Quality

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2011-01-01
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Sun, Gang
Hoff, Steven
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Hoff, Steven
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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Since 1905, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, now the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), has been a leader in providing engineering solutions to agricultural problems in the United States and the world. The department’s original mission was to mechanize agriculture. That mission has evolved to encompass a global view of the entire food production system–the wise management of natural resources in the production, processing, storage, handling, and use of food fiber and other biological products.

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In 1905 Agricultural Engineering was recognized as a subdivision of the Department of Agronomy, and in 1907 it was recognized as a unique department. It was renamed the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 1990. The department merged with the Department of Industrial Education and Technology in 2004.

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1905–present

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  • Department of Agricultural Engineering (1907–1990)

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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Abstract

Simulated impacts of different animal management practices and geographic areas on long-term air quality have been studied using our proposed BTA-AQP (building thermal analysis-air quality predictive) model and statistical analysis methods with four scenarios: building heat loss factor (BHLF), barn setpoint temperature (SPT), animal production schedule (APS), and geographic area (GA). The purpose was to help animal producers and environmental researchers understand the parameters influencing air quality and find a simple, inexpensive, and effective abatement strategy to alleviate airborne pollution from livestock production facilities instead of numerous high-cost gas/odor control technologies. The predicted results indicated that the BHLF scenario had a negligible effect on the source air quality, and the SPT scenario was capable of reducing indoor gas levels during hot weather conditions while the corresponding gas emissions did not increase substantially. Thus, current barn setpoint temperature strategies provide one method to decrease the risk of relatively high gas concentrations (especially H2S concentration) inside the building and protect the health of workers and animals. The APS scenario had no significant effect on mean annual gas concentrations but could lead to a moderate decrease in mean annual gas emissions. It was also found that the GA factor, for the swine deep-pit barns with similar building characteristics and management practices, might have a large impact on indoor gas concentrations but very little effect on mean annual gas emissions.

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This article is from Transactions of the ASABE 54, no. 4 (2011): 1465–1477.

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Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2011
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