Sustainable emission reduction in livestock farming
Reducing ammonia emissions and odor formation is a major challenge in livestock farming. Blue Plasma is investigating the use of plasma-activated water (PAW) as an alternative to traditional chemical air scrubbers. This exploratory study focuses on the effectiveness of PAW compared to existing methods and its potential for broader application in the sector.
Innovation package, use case, and type of trial
Open Field Cultivation
Plasma4Agrifood
Status: evaluation report
Technical functionality
Broad research question
How effective is PAW in reducing emissions and odor?
Conventional air scrubbers often use sulfuric acid, which results in odor, pollution, and complex waste processing. This project tests whether PAW can offer a more sustainable alternative for reducing ammonia emissions and odor formation.
Approach
Measurements at a pig farm in Liessel
The test was conducted at a pig farm in Liessel, Brabant, where emission reduction was measured at the inlet and outlet of an air scrubber using PAW. The chemical analyses were performed in a Wageningen Research laboratory following a standardized protocol.
Goal
Evaluation of the effectiveness of PAW
The goal was to determine the effectiveness of PAW in reducing ammonia emissions and odor formation. In addition, the study provides data to support broader adoption of this technology and serves as a foundation for potentially more extensive follow-up trials.
Results and reflection
Promising ammonia reduction, further testing needed
Initial results show that PAW can achieve a comparable ammonia reduction (>95%) to that of chemical air scrubbers.
Successes:
PAW demonstrated an ammonia reduction similar to existing systems.
The measurement method and test protocol provided valuable insights into the technology’s performance.
Lessons learned:
The trial was of short duration, so the disinfecting effect and odor reduction could not yet be fully assessed.
This research is an independent study conducted by Blue Plasma and is not an official Wageningen Research study.