Measurements and Comparative Air Quality Analysis of a Goat Farm Operation

Abstract

Abstract. Air pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), methane, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful to the respiratory systems of humans and animals. Livestock facilities have been documented as a major source of dangerous air pollutants; however, there is a lack of data on the emissions from goat farms. This study investigated a goat farm in Texas to evaluate the emission levels and determine the correlation of meteorological conditions with these pollutants. Two locations on the goat farm were selected for monitoring: inside a goat barn, and at a manure lagoon. The monitoring campaign was conducted over a 53-day period during winter and summer seasons. Carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrous oxide, ammonia, PM10, PM2.5, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and VOCs were measured to determine hourly average concentrations using chemiluminescent instruments. An analysis of meteorological conditions using multiple regression was conducted to investigate probable correlations between emission rates and characteristic climate data, such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and solar radiation. Particle size distributions of PM10 and PM2.5 were evaluated for the two monitoring locations during the different seasons to determine the typical particle diameter and the impact of season on particle diameter. The highest emission rate of 364.4 ±50 g m-2 d-1 occurred at the manure lagoon for methane, which contributed the most to the overall emissions at this animal operation. The regression results for the manure lagoon had the highest positive correlations for ozone with temperature and solar radiation. The outdoor meteorological conditions had the most significant influence on pollutants at both locations. Therefore, meteorological conditions are instrumental in the intensity of the air pollutants found on animal farms. The particle diameters ranged from 0.1 to 6.0 µm in the goat barn and from 0.3 to 1.0 µm at the manure lagoon. Even though moderate levels of emissions were monitored at this facility, the emissions from the goat farm do not pose a risk to human health and do not significantly impact the ambient air quality when compared to other livestock facilities.HighlightsEmissions from a goat farm were measured inside a goat barn and at a manure lagoon over summer and winter seasons.The highest methane emission rate of 364.4 ±50 g m-2 d-1 occurred at the manure lagoon during summer.Meteorological conditions significantly influenced emissions at both locations, especially for O3 at the manure lagoon.Emissions from goat farm operations are much lower than those from cow, swine, and chicken farm operations. Keywords: Air quality, Ammonia, Emissions, Goat farm, Methane, Multiple regression analysis.