Analysis of the dust emissions from a naturally ventilated turkey house using tracer gas method

Particulate matter (PM) emissions are becoming increasingly important in licensing procedures for the construction of new livestock houses or for the modernization of existing ones. Emission predictions require reliable data about emission rates. On this account, it is necessary to obtain information about the emission development and the relevant influencing factors in naturally ventilated turkey houses. The primary objective of the present research was to describe different aspects of PM emissions from a naturally ventilated turkey house. This includes the quantification of PM emissions and descriptions of the relevant influencing factors. Moreover, the tracer gas decay (TGD) method for ventilation rate estimation had to be used. To determine the emission mass flow from livestock buildings, it was necessary to measure the concentration of the target substance in the exhaust air and the airflow volume. The PM concentration measurements were carried out with a light scattering aerosol spectrometer in the exhaust air. The airflow volume was determined using the TGD method. To this purpose, tracer gas was injected into the supply air before the concentration decay was measured in the exhaust air of the building. The main influences on the PM concentration and the PM size distribution were shown to be animal activity and air volume flow. For the turkey barn, the PM emission factor averaged 0.027 g h(-1) animal(-1) over the entire year. If service times were to be included in the calculation, the emission factor 0.021 g h(-1) animal(-1), again averaged over the entire year, is well below the regulatory limit.