TITLE:
Elemental Compositions and Chemical Mass Closure of Fine Particulate in an Animal Feeding Operation Facility and Its Vicinity
AUTHORS:
Qian-Feng Li, Lingjuan Wang-Li, R. K. M. Jayanty, Sanjay Shah
KEYWORDS:
Animal Feeding Operations, PM2.5, Chemical Speciation, Elemental Composition, Mass Balance
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.6 No.5,
May
4,
2015
ABSTRACT: Particulate matter (PM) emissions from animal
feeding operations (AFOs) have been considered as an important contributor to
ambient PM in rural areas. Investigation of the chemical compositions of PM2.5 inside and in the vicinity of AFOs can enhance our understanding of the AFO
emissions impact on ambient PM characteristics. This year-long field study was
conducted on a commercial egg production farm to investigate ambient PM chemical
compositions as impacted by the air emissions from the production houses. The
PM2.5 samples were collected from five sampling stations (one
in-house station and four ambient locations in four wind directions). The trace
elements, major ions, organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC) were analyzed
by X-ray florescence (XRF), ion chromatography (IC), and thermo-optical
analyzer, respectively. There were significant differences in elemental
compositions between PM samples from in-house station (ST1) and ambient
stations (ST2-ST5). The chemical mass balance analysis revealed that OC
accounted for above 50% of PM2.5 mass at in-house and ambient
stations; NH4+, SO42-, and NO3- accounted for about 40.0% of the total PM2.5 mass in ambient
locations and for only 12% of the total PM2.5 mass in house. The
measured PM2.5 masses agreed with the sums of the masses of chemical
compositions at all stations except for the in-house station. Knowledge gained
from this study, with additional consideration of NH3 concentrations
and emissions, will lead to better understanding of PM2.5 source and
formation, fate and transport, and their atmospheric dynamics.