Update on Methodologies and Findings of the National Air Emissions Measurement Study Open Source Component
R.H Grant
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN USA
The National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) is designed to provide quality-assured air emissions data from representative swine, dairy, egg layer, and broiler production facilities in the United States. This study is the result of an agreement between the livestock industry and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The data collected will allow the U.S. EPA and livestock industry to reasonably determine which farms are subject to the regulatory provisions of the Clean Air Act and reporting requirements of CERCLA and EPCRA. NAEMS consists of two components: one focusing on gas and particulate emissions from barns and the other on gas emissions from open air waste sources including lagoons, basins and corrals. In the open source component, gaseous emissions of NH3, H2S, and various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are being measured throughout the year at a number of farm operations with a range of characteristics to determine the variation in emissions with time of year, stability of the atmosphere, and facility operation. Instruments used in the open source component of NAEMS include sonic anemometers to characterize the wind, sensors to characterize the state of the atmosphere (temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, barometric pressure, wetness), sensors to characterize the state of the source (temperature, pH, and oxidation redox potential for lagoons and manure pH, solids, and ammonium nitrogen for corrals and basins), and state-of-the-art instruments and systems for measuring the concentrations of the gases of interest along long paths near the source (primarily NH3, H2S, and some VOCs). Measurements began in the summer 2007 nd will continue through summer 2009. A total of 10 sites in 7 states are being monitored using this suite of instruments: Two sites measured continuously over one year each and eight sites sequentially measured for 10 to 20 days each season of the year.. Preliminary assessments of the technologies used and the types of information being collected will be discussed.