Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 4, No. 4, 2010 - 378 - Control of Odorants Emissions from Poultry Manure Using Jordanian Natural Zeolites Suhail I. Sharadqah 1) and Reyad A. Al-Dwairi 1)* 1) Department of Natural Resources and Chemical Engineering, Tafila Technical University, P.O. Box (179), (6611), Tafila, Jordan *Corresponding Author: Postal Address: P.O. Box (179), (6611), Tafila, Jordan Email: reyadn@hotmail.com ABSTRACT Natural zeolitic tuffs from Tall Juhira (southern Jordan) have been investigated and tested for their odor removal capacity. Two types of Tall Juhira zeolitic tuffs were used in the odor sorption from animal wastes. The first type is the separated size fraction between 1 and 0.7 mm (TJ1), while the second type is the separated size fraction between 0.7 and 0.3 mm (TJ2). The effect of particle size was examined in the removal experiments. The main species identified in Tall Juhira natural zeolitic tuffs are: chabazite and – subordinately- faujasite and phillipsite. Zeolitic tuff trap and batch tests were performed to determine the effectiveness of Tall Juhira zeolitic tuffs in the reduction of the odor emission from natural broiler manure. The results were interpreted by using percentage removal curves and diagrams. By using TJ1 in zeolitic trap experiments, the removal percentages of NH 3 ranged from 93 to 71, while by using TJ2 the removal percentages ranged from 96 to 81. In batch experiments, the use of TJ2 type shows a higher percentage of NH 3 retention than TJ1 type for the same time. The odor panel results show that the control manure (untreated) has the highest odor intensity in all trails. In summary, it can be concluded that odor emission from animal waste can be effectively reduced using Juhira zeolitic tuffs. KEYWORDS: Zeolite, Tall Juhira, Zeolitic tuff, Broiler manure, Phillipsite, Chabazite, Faujasite, Animal waste, Odor. INTRODUCTION Odor is a major problem confronting livestock producers (National Research Council, 2003). The anaerobic nature of manure stabilization can cause offensive odors and release ammonia (NH 3 ), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), along with various Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) during the different stages of animal waste handling (Bicudo et al., 2002). The semi- fluid droppings in large poultry houses emit a stench that is discomforting to farm workers and to the chickens themselves. The noxious fumes of ammonia contribute to decreased resistance to respiratory diseases, resulting in smaller and less healthy birds (Kling and Quarles, 1974) and decreased egg production (Change and Flint, 1976). Odor complaints have been registered with increasing frequency by nearby residents or neighboring businesspeople as well as by travelers. Odor control has proved to be technologically Accepted for Publication on 15/10/2010. © 2010 JUST. All Rights Reserved.