Odour emissions from poultry litter - A review litter properties, odour formation and odorant emissions from porous materials.
Odour emissions from meat chicken sheds can at times cause odour impacts on surrounding communities. Litter is seen as the primary source of this odour. Formation and emission of odour from meat chicken litter during the grow-out period are influenced by various factors such as litter conditions, the environment, microbial activity, properties of the odorous gases and management practices. Odour emissions vary spatially and temporally. This variability has made it challenging to understand how specific litter conditions contribute to odour emissions from the litter and production sheds. Existing knowledge on odorants, odour formation mechanisms and emission processes that contribute to odour emissions from litter are reviewed. Litter moisture content and water thermodynamics (i.e. water activity, Aw) are also examined as factors that contribute to microbial odour formation, physical litter conditions and the exchange of individual odorant gases at the air-water interface. Substantial opportunities exist for future research on litter conditions and litter formation mechanisms and how these contribute to odour emissions. Closing this knowledge gap will improve management strategies that intercept and interfere with odour formation and emission processes leading to an overall reduction in the potential to cause community impacts.
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government, Toowoomba, Qld 4350, Australia; University of New South Wales, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; Poultry CRC, PO Box U242, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia. Electronic address: mark.dunlop@daf.qld.gov.au.
Mark W
MW
Dunlop
Poultry CRC, PO Box U242, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia; The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, St Lucia, Brisbane 4067, Australia.
Patrick J
PJ
Blackall
University of New South Wales, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Richard M
RM
Stuetz
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005740:Gases; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008372:Manure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology; D008374:Manuscripts, Medical as Topic; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D016062:Porosity; D011200:Poultry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D005740:Gases; D008372:Manure; D014867:Water
Broiler; Odorants; Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)