Denis Choinire, ing. M.Sc.

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Odor Reduction With Windbreaks

• Denis Choinière, ing. M.Sc.
• Environmental Division
• Consumaj inc.

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Introduction

• Livestock activity ? Produces odor
• Impact on the cohabitation with the neighborhood
• Natural windbreaks were identified as a potential
  measure to reduce the present problem
• The implantation of natural windbreaks around
  buildings is promoted by different organisations
  such as FPPQ, MAPAQ.
• Method that is welcomed by producers and their
  neighborhood

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Introduction Odor Windbreaks

• Windbreaks may reduce odors in many ways
• By facilitationg dust deposits
• By physically intercepting dust
• By diluting odorous gases with increased
  turbulence
• By absorbing certain componants of the odor

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Problematic

• Many hypotheses ? few are scientifically
  validated
• Tyndall and Collecti (2000) propose the
  hypothesis that farms would almost become
  inodorous if all dust was removed.
• It is demonstrated that windbreaks facilitate
  dust deposits (like they do for snow or sand)
• So if dust contributes largely to odor
  transportation, windbreaks should reduce odors
  from livestock operations.
• This is a hypothesis which has not yet been
  validated scientifically with direct odor
  measurements.

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The Project  Influence of Windbreaks on Odors 

• Initiated by Consumaj and their research team
  from Consumaj/ McGill University
• Completed with the following teams
• lUPA St-Jean Valleyfield
• ITA de la Pocatière ? André Vézina
• Financial Partners
• LEI (Livestock Environmental Initiative)
• CDAQ (Conseil pour le développement de
  lagriculture du Québec)
• MAPAQ (Ministère de lAgriculture et des
  pêcheries et de lalimentation du Québec)

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Objectives

• Quantify the influence of natural windbreaks on
  odor dispersion/reduction
• Evaluate the tree species influence on odor
  dispersion/reduction
• Evaluate the influence of the distance between
  the windbreaks and the odor emission source
• Quantify the impact of odor windbreaks on
  separating distances, that is, to estimate new
  seperating distances according to the odor
  windbreaks established.

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The Phases

• Phase 1
• Validate the impact of dust on the sampling
  protocol and odor measurement
• Phase 2
• Develop a mobile odor generator
• Phase 3
• Experiment the influence of windbreaks on odor

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Phase 1 - Dust

• 4 growing finishing piggeries
• 2 filtered samples and 2 non-filtered samples
• Measure odor concentration

• Conclusion
• Non-significant impact of dust on the sampling
  protocol

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Phase 2- Odor Generator

• Degasser principle, maximises the contact between
  manure and air
• Uses fattening pigs manure
• Built for a regular size truck box
• Produces 500 to 1000 odor units/sec
• Air flow of 3600 CFM
• Odor production adjusted as needed

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Phase 2- Odor Generator
Dilution duct
8 degasser cubes
Air - manure contact 338 m²/m³
Recirculation pump
Ventilator Variable speed
Manure tank
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Phase 2- Odor Generator
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Phase 3- Windbreaks

• Do tests on existing mature windbreaks
• Site with little interference with odors from
  animals
• 2 deciduous windbreaks
• 2 evergreen windbreaks
• 3 distances - odor source / windbreak (15m 30m
  60m)
• 5 replicas (high density)

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Site 1

• Deciduous, low density

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Site 2

• Deciduous, high density

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Site 3

• Evergreens, low density

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Site 4

• Evergreens, high density

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Phase 3- Windbreaks

• Field Methodology

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Phase 3- Windbreaks

• Odor nuisance scale

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Data Interpretation

• Analyse odor generator samples with the dynamic
  olfactometer to measure the odor concentration
  and the odor nuisance.
• Define the relation for each panellist
• Odor nuisance ? Odor concentration
• Transform the odor nuisance field data to an odor
  concentration for each position in the field

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Data Interpretation

• Combine those field odor concentrations with
• Odor source emission rate
• Number of dilutions from source to field point
• Wind direction
• UTM coordinate
• Absolute distance from source
• Distance from source - parallel and perpendicular
  to wind direction
• Make a large spreadsheet with all this
  information and use it for the analysis

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Effect on Plume Length
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Effect on Plume Area
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Effect on Average Odor Dilution
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Conclusion

• Windbreak performance to reduce odors is better
  when windbreak is at 15m from the source then at
  30m or 60m
• Windbreaks can reduce separation distance from
  livestock operations and neighbors by 19 to 25
• Windbreaks can reduce the area affected by the
  odor by 30 to 37
• Windbreaks can also reduce the odor concentration
  within the odor plume
• Low porosity (below 30) windbreak is needed to
  have a measurable effect on the odor

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Acknowledgements

• CDAQ
• IESE
• MAPAQ
• McGill University
• UPA St-Jean Valleyfield
• André Vézina
• Site Owners

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Question Period

• Thank-you for your attention!