AIR EMISSIONS FROM TWO SWINE FINISHING BUILDING WITH FLUSHING: AMMONIA CHARACTERISTICS Albert J. Heber, Pei-Chun Tao, Ji-Qin Ni, Teng T. Lim, and Amy M. Schmidt ABSTRACT The goal of this 11-month study was to evaluate the characteristics of ammonia (NH 3 ) emission during a test of 1) soybean oil sprinkling (SOS), 2) misting of essential oils, and 3) misting of essential oils and water. Measurements were recorded every 60 s from August 2002 to July 2003 at two tunnel-ventilated swine finishing barns that were flushed at least 16 times daily with lagoon effluent. Ammonia concentrations were measured with a chemiluminescence analyzer by time-sharing it between the barns and ambient air. The treated barn with SOS resulted in 40% less NH 3 emission than the control barn. The mean (± st. dev.) NH 3 concentration and emissions were: 17±8.5 ppm (n=184) and 62±22 g/d-AU (n=175), AU=animal unit=500 kg). KEYWORDS. Air quality, air pollution, air pollutants, pig barn, gas INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Long-term measurements of air emissions from swine housing have shown that ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions may be significant, especially at large sites (Ni et al., 2000; Heber et al., 2002). The average daily mean NH 3 concentration at a mechanically-ventilated swine barn was 5.6±0.41 ppm (mean ± 95% confidence interval) and ranged from 2.8 to 10.6 ppm, and the mean emission rate was 145±10 g/d-AU (Ni et al., 2000). The authors concluded that barn ventilation significantly impacts NH 3 concentration. Pig mass and indoor temperatures are directly related to NH 3 emission due to greater manure production and a greater amount of manure degradation byproducts. Tao (2004) and Heber et al. (2004) described the basic results of a study in a swine finishing house using soybean oil sprinkling (two trials), and misting of essential oils with or without water as a carrier. The barns housed 1,100 pigs and were flushed several times daily. Ammonia and several other air pollutants were measured for eleven months. In the test of oil sprinkling, NH 3 emission was 19% less in the treated barn. The NH 3 emission was 16 to 20% less in the barn treated with essential oil spraying. The mean NH 3 concentration and emission were 18 ppm for 132 d and 55 g/d-AU for 125 d (AU=animal unit=500 kg). The objective of this paper is to evaluate the concentration and emissions characteristics of NH 3 measured at the two swine finishing barns (Heber et al., 2004). METHODS AND PROCEDURES The fan-ventilated swine finishing barns (61.0 m x 13.2 m x 2.4 m) had two rows of 24 pens with a center alley and four shallow manure gutters under a slatted concrete floor (fig. 1). Each gutter was flushed four times daily with lagoon effluent. Ventilation air entered through ceiling inlets except during warm weather when it entered through curtains on the east end of the barns for tunnel ventilation. In warm weather, the barns were tunnel ventilated with four 1.22-m diameter belted exhaust fans on the west end wall along with one continuous 0.91-m direct-drive variable speed fan (Heber et al., 2002). The north and south barns were denoted B7 and B8, respectively, with B7 the control barn. New pigs arrived at about 25 kg and were harvested at about 123 kg. Odor, NH 3 , hydrogen sulfide, non-methane hydrocarbons, and particulate matter were monitored from both barns (Heber et al., 2004). The barns were compared to evaluate effects of abatement 436 This is not a peer-reviewed article. Livestock Environment VII, Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium, 18-20 May 2005 (Beijing, China) Publication Date 18 May 2005, ASAE Publication Number 701P0205. Ed. T. Brown-Brandl. Copyright 2005 American Society of Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan USA.