| Popis: |
The odor associated with swine production facilities continues to be a major concern for the swine industry. A pilot-scale attached growth bioreactor system was designed and installed in a swine research facility at Mississippi State University. The system, called the Swine Odor Reduction Bioreactor System (SORBS), uses plant fiber, predominantly kenaf (hibiscus cannabis), as the bioreactor attached growth medium. The research facility has two separate pens each equipped with pit-recharge waste handling systems. The SORBS was installed on one pen, while the other pen was operated in standard pit-recharge mode. In addition to evaluating the SORBS performance, continual aeration of the collection pits and addition of a microbial seed were evaluated for odor abatement. Treatment performance was determined using water quality analyses (COD, NH3-N, PO4-P, total solids, volatile acids, and phenols) and odor assessments using a human sensory panel. The COD concentrations were reduced by as much as 50% by the SORBS treatments as compared to the control with an organic loading of about 50 kg/day of COD. The SORBS treatments reduced the ortho-phosphate (PO4-P) concentrations by at least 55% as compared to the control. Volatile acids and phenol concentrations were reduced by 73% and 79%, respectively, with the SORBS treatment. Odor assessments indicate that the wastewater treated with the SORBS was significantly different (a= 0.05) with regard to overall odor intensity and fecal characteristic as compared to the control treatment. Samples from the aeration treatments were not significantly different from the control samples. Wastewater treated by the SORBS had higher pleasantness ratings than the control samples. |
