Gas emissions, including ammonia, methane and other greenhouse gases, sulfides, and other volatile organic carbons (VOCs) from livestock operations are health and environmental concerns. This is often a major problem for rural communities engaged in animal agriculture. Management of polluted air from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and other livestock facilities is a regulatory concern but can become a major expense for producers as well. Effective removal of hazardous substances and odor reduction by currently available methods can be unreliable and costly. In this study, a quantification of silica nanoparticles (Si NPs) from different agricultural residues such as rice hull and corn stover was carried out to be used as potential adsorbent materials for air pollutants.  Different extraction parameters such as pH, temperature, and type of agricultural residues determine the yield of Si NPs. Our results show that yield ranges from 10% to upward of over 40%. Preliminary results also show that biogenic silica NPs amended with metal oxides could reduce certain air pollutants via fixed-bed reactor setup. Therefore, it is feasible to source naturally occurring Si NPs as adsorbent material for air pollution abatement strategy around CAFOs for sustainability and cost effectiveness.

Biogenic silica extraction and comparison of agricultural residues for potential adsorbent material

2019 Spring National Meeting

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