Floor slat openings impact ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions associated with group-housed gestating sows

Abstract

According to EU legislation, group-housed gestating sows must have a minimum of 2.25 m 2 floor area per sow with at least 1.3 m 2 of continuous solid floor of which a maximum of 15% is reserved for drainage openings. The aim of the experiment was to quantify the impact of different drainage openings on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions. Three successive batches of 10 gestating sows were used. Each batch was divided into two groups kept separately in two identical rooms with similar volume and surface. The solid part of the floor presented 15% drainage openings in the first room and 2.5% in the second room.

New Emission Factors for Calculation of Ammonia Volatilization From European Livestock Manure Management Systems

“…The SD of EF for housing may be due to the housing categories being only broadly defined and emission being affected by several factors which vary within each broad category. Those factors are: (1) the ratio of slatted floor to concrete floor area for pigs (Sommer et al, 2006), (2) floor opening area (Philippe et al, 2016), (3) distribution of excreta within the building, which is affected by positioning of feeders and drinkers, and behavior of pigs as related to age and temperature (Aarnink et al, 2006), (4) 7 | Ammonia emission from animal slurry applied in the field given as a % of TAN content in the manure applied in the field. The emission factors are estimated with the ALFAM2 model (Hafner et al, 2018).…”

Determining an effective slat and gap width of flooring for group sow housing, considering both sow comfort and ease of manure management

“…Several studies have been carried out to evaluate the ammonia emission and concentration in pig houses equipped with slatted concrete floors. Philippe et al (2016) evaluated the ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions on two partially slatted concrete floors (15% and 2.5% drainage openings) in pens for group-housed gestating sows. They found the ammonia emission for the floor with 15% openings was significantly lower.…”

Utilización de dispositivos de membrana para la captura de las emisiones de amoníaco procedentes de deyecciones de ganado porcino y avícola

“…En el interior de los alojamientos ganaderos se requiere un drenaje favorable del estiércol, reduciendo en la medida de lo posible las áreas sucias que suponen fuentes significativas de NH3 [125,126].…”