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Physical properties of particulate matter from animal houses—empirical studies to improve emission modelling

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 23, pages 12253–12263 (2016)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 10 May 2016

Abstract

Maintaining and preserving the environment from pollutants are of utmost importance. Particulate matter (PM) is considered one of the main air pollutants. In addition to the harmful effects of PM in the environment, it has also a negative indoor impact on human and animal health. The specific forms of damage of particulate emission from livestock buildings depend on its physical properties. The physical properties of particulates from livestock facilities are largely unknown. Most studies assume the livestock particles to be spherical with a constant density which can result in biased estimations, leading to inaccurate results and errors in the calculation of particle mass concentration in livestock buildings. The physical properties of PM, including difference in density as a function of particle size and shape, can have a significant impact on the predictions of particles’ behaviour. The aim of this research was to characterize the physical properties of PM from different animal houses and consequently determine PM mass concentration. The mean densities of collected PM from laying hens, dairy cows and pig barns were 1450, 1520 and 2030 kg m−3, respectively, whilst the mass factors were 2.17 × 10−3, 2.18 × 10−3 and 5.36 × 10−3 μm, respectively. The highest mass concentration was observed in pig barns generally followed by laying hen barns, and the lowest concentration was in dairy cow buildings. Results are presented in such a way that they can be used in subsequent research for simulation purposes and to form the basis for a data set of PM physical properties.

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Abbreviations

m F (μg):

Mass factor

ρ P (kg m−3):

Particle density

κ :

Dynamic shape factor

P r (m):

Perimeter of the particle matter

A (m2):

Area of the particle matter

η (μPa):

Viscosity

C C :

Cunningham correction factor

V s (m s−1):

Sedimentation velocity

S s (m):

Sedimentation stroke

S t (s):

Sedimentation time

T (°C):

Ambient air temperature

d (m):

Particle diameter

g (m s−2):

Gravitational constant

Π:

Transcendental number (3.1415…)

PM:

Particulate matter

PM2.5 :

Particulate matter diameter <2.5 μm

PM10 :

Particulate matter diameter < 10 μm

TSP:

Total suspended particles

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to show their appreciation for the financing organizations, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Zentralverband der Deutschen Geflügelwirtschaft (ZDG) and Umweltverträgliche und Standortgerechte Landwirtschaft (USL). We also thank the animal housing owners for giving us the opportunity for achieving this study in their farms.

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Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, El-Gammaa Street, 12613, Giza, Egypt

    Ehab Mostafa

  2. Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Bonn University, Nussallee 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany

    Ehab Mostafa, Christoph Nannen, Jessica Henseler & Wolfgang Buescher

  3. Institute of Physics, Bonn University, Nussallee 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany

    Bernd Diekmann

  4. Agricultural & Biological Engineering, University of Illinois, 360C AESB, 1304 W. Pennsylvania Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Richard Gates

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  1. Ehab Mostafa
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  2. Christoph Nannen
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  4. Bernd Diekmann
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  6. Wolfgang Buescher
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Correspondence to Ehab Mostafa.

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Responsible editor: Marcus Schulz

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Mostafa, E., Nannen, C., Henseler, J. et al. Physical properties of particulate matter from animal houses—empirical studies to improve emission modelling. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 12253–12263 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6424-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6424-8

Keywords

  • Particulate matter
  • Particle density
  • Shape factor
  • Mass factor
  • Mass concentration
  • Livestock buildings