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Characterization, health risks, ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation, and odor-causing analysis of gaseous pollutants from pig houses

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Abstract

The environmental quality of the outdoor, as well as the health of people and animals, might be impacted by the total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), NH3, and H2S from pig houses. The amount of study on the features of VOC and smell emission from pig fattening process locations is rather limited, and the assessment of the primary odor-causing compounds and health hazards is unclear; inadequate investigation has been done for the generation of ozone and secondary organic aerosols. In this study, a portable odor meter was employed to measure odor levels and analyze the sources of odor at four different locations within the pigsty. Specific VOCs were collected using a Suma tank to determine the magnitude of odor, assess the formation of SOA and OFP, and evaluate associated health risks. Furthermore, online monitoring sensors were utilized to detect fluctuations in TVOC, H2S, and NH3 concentrations. Results showed that TVOC emissions outside the house were prominent in November and January, while inside the house, they were concentrated in December, with a maximum of 60,000 μg·m−3, with an overall decreasing trend. H2S emissions were low, almost zero, and NH3 emissions showed a stable trend throughout the season, with a peak of 29.3 μg·m−3 in mid-January. A total of 36 VOCs were detected, with the highest concentrations of acetaldehyde and undecane at 34.5 and 34.8 μg·m−3, respectively, and the main odor-causing substances were acetaldehyde, NH3, and H2S; OFP contributed most to acetaldehyde and SOA contributed most to aromatic hydrocarbons and alkanes. This research endeavor establishes a scientifically grounded framework for mitigating malodors and determining an optimal treatment methodology.

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Acknowledgements

This research is supported by the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA(CARS-35), Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Livestock Equipment Engineering in the Southwest. The authors are grateful to the editors and reviewers of this journal for their valuable comments and suggestions on this study, and to the double corresponding authors (Yue Jian) and (Zuohua Liu), who continuously communicated and cooperated with us during the study and made important contributions to the completion of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Chuan Huang, Wenlai Xu, Jianyong Ning & Linjing Li

  2. ChongQing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing, 402460, China

    Chuan Huang, Yue Jian & Zuohua Liu

  3. National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, Chongqing, 402460, China

    Chuan Huang, Yue Jian & Zuohua Liu

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  1. Chuan Huang
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  2. Wenlai Xu
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  3. Jianyong Ning
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  4. Linjing Li
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  6. Zuohua Liu
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Contributions

CH: methodology, formal analysis, visualization, resources, data curation, writing—original draft, preparation, writing—review and editing. WX: conceptualization, data curation, writing—review and editing, supervision. JN: data curation, writing—review and editing. LL: data curation, writing—review and editing. YJ and ZL are corresponding authors who carefully edited the overall structure and revisions of this manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yue Jian or Zuohua Liu.

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Huang, C., Xu, W., Ning, J. et al. Characterization, health risks, ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation, and odor-causing analysis of gaseous pollutants from pig houses. Air Qual Atmos Health 17, 401–415 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-023-01453-7

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