What's The Big Stink? An Introduction To Managing Odor in Agriculture

摘要

Odor is a contaminant receiving increased attention in the agricultural industry. As residential sprawl encroaches on agricultural land and farm size increases, odor complaints are becoming more common. This paper provides an overview of odor considerations in agriculture including sampling methods, methods for mitigating odor and odor regulations. Odor continues to be a topic of interest to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) although they not federally regulated at this time. Asthe number of odor complaints increases, environmental exemptions for agriculture are being rescinded by local governments. The management of odor from the agricultural industry is essential. Odor regulations are varied within countries and around the world, and are much less consistent than the regulations surrounding toxic and other risk based criteria. Odor is almost always comprised of more than one compound and the synergistic effects between compounds make predicting odor strength difficult. Proper sampling and analytical techniques are required to present a representative odor profile for various operations. In the summer of 2011, the EPA anticipates publishing emission estimating methodologies for animal feeding operations, which can be used in place of expensive sampling programs to develop emission profiles. An emission profile is required to understand where improvements can best be made to eliminate or reduce odor emissions to minimize potential off-site impacts. This paper addresses various odor regulations in the United States, approved sampling procedures, sample analysis methods, air dispersion modeling, abatement strategies, and agricultural best management practices. This paper discusses the sources of odor in agriculture and how odor is quantified in industry and in regulation. A variety of odor sampling methods are discussed. The paper reviews forced choice olfactometry and explains how odor concentration is defined. Once odor is quantified, the concentration can be used in a dispersion model to predict the concentration experienced by off site receptors. This paper also provides an overview of proven odor abatement technologies including scrubbers, biofilters, and digesters. An introduction to best management practices for odor abatement including manure handling and application techniques, building ventilation, and separation distances from residents. An overview of the EPA consent decree and the status of the decree are outlined.