Ammonia Floating Cover: Reduce Ammonia Emissions

“Ammonia Floating Cover” is a crucial solution for managing ammonia emissions into the atmosphere. These emissions primarily occur from livestock buildings, manure storage facilities, during manure handling and treatment, and when manure is applied on land. Ammonia is a significant respiratory hazard for workers who experience continuous, long-term exposure to the gas, leading to skin and eye irritation. Prolonged ammonia exposure can even result in pneumonia, affecting both livestock and workers.

Interestingly, the practices that effectively reduce ammonia emissions also prove highly effective in curbing odor emissions. Hydrogen sulfides and various volatile organic compounds, recognized as noxious pollutants, present considerable health hazards for workers.

Introducing a well-designed “Ammonia Floating Cover” can notably mitigate odors emanating from open manure storage facilities. This conclusion arises from both practical farm experience and controlled experiments. Such covers establish a barrier between the gas and the liquid, hindering the transfer of gases and odors. While a floating cover primarily reduces ammonia transfer, it also addresses the dispersion of other odorous compounds like H2S. This improvement occurs due to an increase in surface-to-air resistance at the liquid-air interface. Notably, our Hexprotect® “Ammonia Floating Cover” covers up to 99% of the total surface area and can reduce odors by as much as 90%.

Permeable covers, exemplified by the Hexprotect® AQUA “Ammonia Floating Cover,” have exhibited greater effectiveness in reducing odor emanating from livestock manure facilities compared to impermeable materials. These covers foster the establishment of an aerobic layer on their surface. This allows some of the odorous compounds that escape to undergo aerobic breakdown before release into the atmosphere. In contrast, impermeable floating materials permit odorous compounds to escape through leaks at joints and near tank walls.

For many operators, the primary challenge lies in finding an economical solution with manageable initial and operating costs while minimizing maintenance requirements. Covers demanding regular or even moderate labor, such as solid covers, are at a significant disadvantage compared to our modular “Ammonia Floating Cover,” which requires no maintenance whatsoever.

Additionally, air-filled balls, such as the Armor Ball, have been employed as floating covers for outdoor manure storage facilities. Notably, a study reported approximately 15% ammonia losses from cattle slurry and between 5% and 12% from pig slurry when utilizing such covers, as opposed to 100% losses observed in uncovered control tanks.