Browsing by Subject "Biofilter"
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Item Biofilter design information(2020) Schmidt, David; Jacobson, Larry; Nicolai, DavidOdor emissions from livestock and poultry facilities are a source of contention in many areas of Minnesota and across the United States. Under certain conditions odor emissions have been known to affect neighbors and communities at distances of a mile or more from the odor source. One odor control technology that has been shown to be both economical and effective is a biofilter. Biofiltration can reduce odor and hydrogen sulfide emissions from livestock and poultry facilities by as much as 95% and ammonia by 65%. This method of odor control has been used in industry for many years and was recently adapted for use in livestock and poultry systems. Biofilters are most easily adapted to mechanically ventilated buildings or on the pit fans of naturally ventilated buildings. Biofilters can also treat air vented from covered manure storage covers.Item Prospecting Fungi For Methane Biofiltration Reveals High-Efficiency Capture By Dried Mycelia (Necromass)(2017-12) Liew, Feng JinFungi can improve biofiltration of hydrophobic pollutants by improving capture, a rate-limiting step in bioreactors. We prospected fungi alongside native biofilm preparations and relevant controls for their efficacy capturing methane using gas-phase biofilters. Using a batch incubation system, we found that Ganoderma lucidum performed best in single-strain trials. Building on this, we tested other Ganoderma species and found comparable efficacies. The advantages of Ganoderma and Pleurotus isolates were lost and native colonizers wood substrates were deployed in the field, irrespective of where they were deployed. This relates to a stress-tolerant rather than competitive life history strategy, where Ganoderma species are outcompeted in less stressful environments. We also tested an alternative way to present Ganoderma for filtration. Using protocols for culinary and biomaterial applications, we re-tested several fungi, including Lentinus edodes ‘shiitake.’ In these trials, we found surprisingly high efficacy with Ganoderma mycelia (84%) relative to activated carbon. These results suggest that Ganoderma species might best be utilized for biofiltration in dried form, effective in field conditions and potentially more amenable for biofiltration indoors.Item Role of Fungi in the Biofiltration of Livestock Housing and Manure Storage Emissions(2015-08) Oliver, JasonBiofilters use porous media colonized by microbial biofilms to capture and degrade odorous, hazardous and greenhouse gases making them well-suited for livestock housing and manure storage emissions. Fungi are abundant in these biofilters though their dynamics, degradation of media, community shifts, and functional roles have not been well-investigated. To explore spatial and temporal fungal dynamics in full-scale woodchip biofilters treating swine barn emissions, a novel monitoring approach was developed. Using wooden baits and microbial measures optimized to target biofilms biofilter fungi were characterized and shown to tolerate media desiccation. Additionally, successional patterns at the taxa and guild level were studied, and the development of a dominant fungal community was identified. To address the practical question of media longevity, a litter bag study was deployed in the same full-scale biofilters. Decay rates of various media types were identified, and microbial decay was dependent on media quality, nitrogen, and emissions levels. Using a lab-scale biofilter system, fungi were shown to improve the capture of methane, particularly after periods of low-concentration inlet emissions. Using a chromatographic isotherm the ability of fungi to sorb methane gas was verified for the first time. Collectively, this work showcases dynamics and potential abilities of fungi in biofilters treating livestock production emission and may be used to guide subsequent efforts to connect fungi to biofilter function. If these processes can be understood and controlled, there is the potential to improving biofilter performance, better protect air quality and improve farming system sustainability.