Characterization of Emission and odour from a small scale poultry unit

The emission of odour gases from livestock farms is a significant contributor to global air pollution and the resulting unpleasant odors experienced by communities. However, there is a lack of research on the factors influencing odor emissions and the relationships between different odor properties specifically related to poultry operations. Therefore, the objective of this study is to measure the concentrations and emissions of the main odor-causing gases in a commercial small-scale poultry unit. Four sampling locations were chosen within the poultry unit, including the manure storage area, poultry feed storage area, entrance area of the poultry shed, and the central portion of the poultry shed. Instrumental analysis was performed to determine the concentrations of four predominant malodorous compounds. The results revealed that ammonia was the most prevalent malodorous compound in the sampled locations. To assess the sensory characteristics of the poultry unit, on-site odor intensity (OOI) was evaluated using human olfactometry, where individuals with a normal sense of smell provided sensory assessments. However, due to the time and manpower required for direct sensory assessment, and to address the limitations of olfactometry, a correlation regression model of odor parameters was developed. This allowed the adoption of the Converted Odor Intensity (COI) method as an alternative approach to understand the odor characteristics in a more efficient manner.