Management of Odor and Sources

The odor that is detected from a swine operation is a complex mixture of gases. Most often the odor is a result of the uncontrolled anerobic decomposition of manure. However, feed spoilage can also contribute to the odor. The odor that our noses detect can be a combination of 60 to 150 different compounds. Some of the most important types of odor causing compounds are: volatile fatty acids, mercaptans, esters, carbonyls, aldehydes, alcohols, ammonia, and amines. The odor strength of these compounds do not combine in an additive manner. That is, sometimes mixing several of these compounds can result in reduced odor by dillution of the strongest smelling compounds. In other instances the mixture is worse than any of the individual compounds. Ammonia can create strong odors near the manure storage or building, but is not a significant component of odor downwind from a swine facility. Ammonia is highly volatile and moves upward in the atmosphere quickly where it is dilluted.

If all of this sounds confusing to you then welcome to the crowd. In order to develop a management plan for odor control the sources of odor must be fully understood. Swine odor sources can be classified into the following three categories:

Buildings and Facilities

Manure Storage Systems

Land Application

Return to Odor Control Return to The Land Application of Animal Manure.