Reducing ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions from livestock facilities is an important issue for many communities and livestock producers. Ammonia has been regarded as odorous, precursor for particulate matter (PM), and contributed to livestock mortality. Hydrogen sulfide is highly toxic at elevated concentrations, causing death at high level of exposure and headaches and eye irritation over a long period of low level exposure. Biochar has the potential to serve as a sorbent for removing gaseous pollutants such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. In this research, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide sorption capacities of biochars made from pyrolyzing wood shavings and chicken litter at 250 oC and 480 to 500 oC were determined via sorption column experiments. Both steam, phosphoric acid, and potassium hydroxide activation techniques were employed to activate some of the biochar samples. The bed depth service time (BDST) model was used to calculate the maximum sorption capacities of various biochar samples. Non-activated biochar samples had maximum sorption capacities ranging from 0.15 to 5.1 mg NH3-N/g biochar, comparable to that of commercial activated carbons. Sorption capacities of other biochars will be presented at the meeting.

Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide removal using biochar

251st National Meeting (2016)

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