Farm AirClean - Skov A/S

Farm AirClean
Biological air cleaning for reduction
of odour, dust and ammonia
Climate for Growth

Efficient biological Cleaning of the outgoing Air...
Ammonia, Odour and Dust
The incentive to develop systems for
cleaning housing air derives from the agricultural
sector being under great national
and international pressure to reduce its
environmental load. For animal production,
this involves requirements for a reduction
of ammonia emissions, other nitrogen
compounds, etc.
This also applies to odorants from livestock
houses. Producers are facing an increasing
number of limitations when they wish to
establish new house systems or extend
them. These limitations often occur in the
form of protests against the odour load.
On several markets, the authorities have
increased their focus on reducing the dust
quantity discharged from the livestock
houses to the surrounding environment.
Recent research results have shown that
dust from livestock houses can be disease
carriers.
Farm AirClean
Farm AirClean is a biological air cleaning
system. The system is based on biological
air-cleaning principles. These principles are
effective in reducing odour, ammonia and
dust.
BIO Module or BIO Flex
The Farm AirClean systems can be divided
into two groups - BIO Module and BIO Flex.
The air volume to be cleaned is crucial for
the choice of system. The positioning of
the air cleaner and the duct layout from
the livestock house to the air cleaner can
be factors as well.
The BIO Module is used when the required
air cleaning level is low and if the
air cleaner is to be placed in the attic of
the livestock house. BIO Flex is used when
the required air cleaning level is high and
if the air cleaner is installed inside or in an
extension to the livestock house.
In full-scale test, Farm AirClean has
proven that
•
•
•
The ammonia content of the outgoing air is reduced
down to 1 ppm
The pig smell is eliminated from the outgoing air
The dust content in the outgoing air is reduced by 90%
A World of
Customised
Solutions

Only Water and indigenous
Microorganisms...
Patented Filter Construction
The housing air is led through two filters
sprinkled with water. Ammonia and
odorants are removed in both filters while
most of the dust is removed in the first
filter.
The air cleaning process is a biological
process. Biofilms of bacteria and other
microorganisms are formed on the filters.
Ammonia, odorants and dust are removed
when the housing air gets into contact with
the water and the biofilm on the filters.
Natural Cleaning by Microorganisms
The effective bacteria and other microorganisms
are indigenous in the livestock
house environment. Some of the bacteria
are specialists in converting ammonia.
Microorganisms feed on the characteristic
odorants from pig houses and dust. (e.g.
root material and the pigs’ hide)
The water re-circulates through the filters.
When the water in the filters loses its
capacity to convert more ammonia, it is
Ammonia
Odour of Pig
Dust
drained to the slurry tank and fresh water
is supplied to the installation.
The drained water, which is entirely biological,
can be handled together with the
slurry or spread directly on the fields as a
fertiliser supplement.
Only Principle that cleans the Air
of both Odour and Ammonia
The biological principle is the only air
cleaning principle known to remove both
odorants and ammonia from the outgoing air.
A system based on chemicals can reduce
the ammonia emission but has no effect
on the odour emission.
Approved System
A worldwide patent for the Farm AirClean
principles has been applied for and the
system is in operation in a number of
countries around the world.
On some markets, air cleaning is subject to
approval by the authorities. Farm AirClean
is approved by the authorities in Denmark,
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and
Japan.
Water
Air Air
Biofilm
Ammonium
Nitrit / nitrat
Organc material
Residual products can
be spread
together with slurry
Kilde: Aron Saunders, Århus Universitet
Ventilation and Air Cleaning
from one Supplier
Based on the system idea, Farm AirClean is
a natural part of a SKOV ventilation system
and thus optimised in every way.
Furthermore, the customer only has to
approach one supplier when the system
is in operation. We know the correlation
between ventilation and air cleaning and
get the most out of the systems.
CO 2
Odour of wet
forest floor

BIO Flex
BIO Flex is designed to provide ’air
cleaning by the metre’. The system is very
flexible. Producers can optimise the
investment and the operating costs in
relation to the current regulatory requirements.
Furthermore, the requirement for
manual cleaning and maintenance has
been minimised.
BIO Flex is well suited for large air cleaning
systems in connection with central channel
and wall exhaustion.
Flexibility at all Times
BIO Flex is a biological air cleaning system
- a two or three-step biological air cleaner
- designed to provide ’air cleaning by the
metre’. BIO Flex is characterised by:
• Capacity ranging from 10 000 to 360 000
m3 /hour with the same controller
• Length of the system ranging from 2
to 50 metres
• Biological air cleaning
• Optimum investment in relation to
the regulatory requirements
• Different levels of odour reduction
(two or three filters)
• Robust and reliable construction
requiring only little maintenance
In areas where regulatory requirements
are in place (Germany), it is possible to implement
a pH stabilization of the cleaning
process.
Minimum Maintenance
It has been emphasised that the pig
producer should spend as little time as
possible on cleaning and maintaining
the system. BIO Flex is equipped with a
newly developed, patent pending robot
washer (PA2010 00201). The design of the
robot washer is sturdy and reliable and the
robot washer automatically and effectively
cleans the filters.
1 2
Stop

In addition, the utilization of the entire
filter area in the air cleaner has been
optimised and the quantity of dust in
the filters has been reduced by placing a
patent pending air distribution plate in
front of the first filter (PA 2009 01023). The
mechanical principle for sprinkling the
filters under all operating conditions has
been optimised so that the entire filter
area retains the required humidification
level.
These additions improve the “working environment”
for the bacteria in the system.
This makes it easier for the bacteria to
convert the odorants and the ammonia
content in the housing air - and thus obtain
the maximum cleaning effect.
BIO Flex installation in Denmark
Air distribution plate in front of the first filter
Air outlet from the section to the air cleaner
Automatic robot washer on the first filter
Low Power Consumption
BIO Flex is characterised by air cleaning on
large filter areas which results in a minor
pressure loss. The automatic robot washer
and the dust reducing function of the
air distribution plate are in combination
to ensure that the filters are always in
optimum condition and the pressure loss
through the filters is low. The operating
costs for ventilation have been minimised
compared to other filter-based air cleaning
systems.
Control and Monitoring
Optimum air cleaning with minimum resource
consumption is handled by a DOL
356 air cleaning computer. Operating data
is collected and displayed by the Farm-
Online® management system. Data documentation
through FarmOnline® meets
the requirements
of the
international
VERA Protocol.

BIO Modul
The BIO Module is a module-based concept
where the quantity of air cleaning
units ordered is based on the number of
m 3 of housing air to be cleaned.
The idea behind the module-based filter
unit was to standardise the air cleaning
unit into prefabricated concept units.
They are of a very high quality and thus
ensuring the usual advantages: reliability
and reduction of product manufacturing
and mounting costs.
The cleaning units are available in capacities
ranging from 10 000 to 40 000 cubic
metres per hour. For instance, the BIO 3U
can clean 30 000 m 3 of air per hour, which
is equivalent to approx. 300 finisher pen
places according to Danish standards -
calculation is based on approx. 100 m 3 air/
hour/pig.
Housing air
Recirculated water
Filter 1
Biofilm
Recirculated water
By basing the system on modules, SKOV
has made it easy for the pig producer to
implement the system in the construction
process. The cleaning modules can be
placed in the attic, next to the house or in
a cleaning room inside the house.
Contrary to other module systems available
on the market, this solution can be
delivered either fully assembled or to be
assembled on site. If the cleaning modules
are to be installed in an attic, assembly on
site can save the producer the removal of
most of the roofing sheets in connection
with the installation.
Fan
Filter 2
Biofilm
Floor
Experience has showed that it is important
to keep the filters clean. SKOV designed
an automatic filter washer for the cleaning
units. The washer starts at regular intervals
and cleans the filter so it does not clog.
DOL 256 Computer
Each air cleaning module is equipped with
a DOL 256 AirClean computer regulating
the air cleaning process in this particular
module. The decentralized control system
ensures optimum cleaning of the individual
section based on the actual requirement.
The computer is very simple and the
information level is confined to the data
that the producer considers to be most
important. On the computer display, the
producer can see whether the controller
is operative and the filter washer is active.
The controller will show an overview of
vital data such as water consumption,
alarms and operation time. This data can
also be shown in a 24-hour report or a
year-to-date report.

Six BIO 2U modules installed next to a livestock house in Japan
Module is lifted into position by a crane Module positioned in the attic
Roofing completed and ventilation connected

kun er behov for en luftrenser med
en kapacitet på ca. 10% af ventilationskapaciteten
for at opnå en reduktion
i ammoniakemissionen på 40%.
Det svarer til det største reduktionskrav
Partial gældende Cleaning for slagtesvinestalde
med If the drænet pig producer gulv ved is required ansøgning to reduce om
miljøgodkendelse the emission of ammonia, i 2009. partial Se tabel cleaning 2.
Renseeffektiviteten could be an option. har dog en betydelig
indflydelse, idet en luftvasker,
der The kun largest kan reduction fjerne 50% of ammonia af ammoemisniakken,sion is achieved nødvendiggør in connection at ca. with 30% the
af first ventilationskapaciteten 20% (0-20%) of the amount kan of ledes air
gennem going through luftrenseren the air cleaner for at whereas opnå en
tilsvarende the last 20% reduktion (80-100%) af do ammoniake-
not add up to a
missionen. huge environmental profit.
henholdsvis høj og lav renseeffektivitet.
Protect the Environment and save Money!
Den SKOV største bases the renseeffekt air cleaning opnås on the step- ved
rensning less outlet, af which op til is ca. running 20% in af a ventila- MultiStep
tionskapaciteten, system. Then additional idet rensning outlets are af conen
større nected andel to the kun air cleaner resulterer until i the en ammomarginalnia reduction reduktion required af ammoniakemissio-
by the authorities
nen. has been achieved.
If partial cleaning is applied, the system is
not dimensioned to clean all the outgoing
air; but perhaps 30-40 percent of the
maximum amount of air. The filters do not
have to be so big and a smaller quantity of
air has to be moved. This reduces the price
of both the investment and the operation
costs. Most of the ammonia will be removed
in winter and only on very few days
during the summer not all the outgoing
air will be cleaned.
Concentrate the Efforts
SKOV plans the location of the air cleaning
units by the livestock houses with the
greatest ammonia and odour emission.
This way the customer is protecting the
environment as well as saving money. This
would typically be finisher or farrowing
sections with drained floors. The customer
can get the best air cleaning effect per
cubic metre of air.
Figur 2. Reduktion af ammoniakemissionen som funktion af kapacitet for en luftrenser med
Figur_3_og_4.xls / Alle_95_50%_20C 03-07-2007
Reduction Reduktion of af NH NH3 NH emission, %
3 % %
3
SKOV supply climate and production management systems for animal
production the world over. Our solutions are technologically advanced,
user friendly and individually adapted to meet the needs of our customers.
SKOV A/S • Hedelund 4 • DK-7870 Roslev
Tel. +45 72 17 55 55 • info@skov.com • www.skov.com
620061-20080627 . Print: SKOV A/S
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act innovate cooperate
0
Luftandel gennem renser, %
Final concentration 1 ppm
Slutkoncentration1ppm
Slutkoncentration 2 ppm
Final concentration 2 ppm
0 20 40 60 80 100
Proportion Luftandel of air gennem through renser, cleaner, % %
1/3 drained_1ppm
drænet_1ppm
25-49%fast_1ppm
25-49% solid_1ppm
1/3 drained_2 drænet_2ppm ppm
25-49%fast_2ppm
25-49% solid_2 ppm
Effect of a reduction of the ammonia emission of a proportion of air through an air
Figur 3. Effekt på reduktion af ammoniakemission af luftandel gennem en luftrenser med
slutkoncentration cleaner with a final på henholdsvis concentration 1 og of 2 1 ppm. and 2 ppm respectively. Source: Grøn Viden (Green
Knowledge) no. 47: Partial cleaning of ammonia in livestock house air. Faculty of Agricultural
Science.
Figur_3_og_4.xls / Alle_1_2ppm 03-07-2007
Climate for Growth