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Seasonal Variation in Heat Fluxes, Predicted Emissions of Malodorants, and Wastewater Quality of an Anaerobic Swine Waste Lagoon

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Abstract

The concentrations of p-cresol above a wastewater lagoon were modeled from February through June based on equations developed in a previous study. Using this model, in which p-cresol concentrations were calculated based on lagoon evaporation and net available radiation at the lagoon surface, predicted p-cresol concentrations were highest during the months of March and April and declined to very low levels thereafter. This was in accordance with observed emission patterns in the previous study. In the same period during which predicted emissions increased, wastewater concentrations of malodorants decreased. While other indicators of wastewater quality such as ammonium and chemical oxygen demand (COD) also decreased in concentration, the magnitude of their improvement was not as high as for the malodorants. There were no pronounced differences in bacterial populations between the cool and warm seasons based on molecular quantification of genes targeting total cells, Bacteroides, Clostridia, and methanogens. While the improvement in the concentrations of wastewater malodorants may be due to catabolism by lagoon bacteria, our findings indicate that evaporative losses that occurred as the lagoon warmed may also play a strong role.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Joe St. Claire and Marty Haley (USDA-ARS) for technical assistance. This research was part of United States Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research Service National Program 206: Manure and By-product Utilization. Additional funding was obtained through a United States Department of Agriculture grant #58-6445-6-068. This research also benefited from the National Science Foundation-EPSCoR funding. Mention of a trademark or product anywhere in this article is to describe experimental procedures and does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the USDA and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products or vendors that may also be suitable.

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Correspondence to John H. Loughrin.

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Loughrin, J.H., Quintanar, A.I., Cook, K.L. et al. Seasonal Variation in Heat Fluxes, Predicted Emissions of Malodorants, and Wastewater Quality of an Anaerobic Swine Waste Lagoon. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 3611–3618 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1134-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1134-4

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