How to use alum to reduce odor in poultry house.

A research team is working on how adding alum as an amendment to poultry litter. This reduces ammonia and greenhouse gas concentrations and emissions, specifically carbon dioxide, in poultry houses.
 

 The University of Delaware's Hong Li is part of a research team looking at how alum can reduce green house emissions in poultry. Acid-based chemical compounds, alum and PLT -- another amendment -- that are added to the bedding material in poultry houses prior to the birds entering have proven to be a very effective tool in controlling ammonia emissions.

 In the poultry industry, ammonia build up is a major concern and ammonia concentration is usually high during the growth period .

  Ammonia can do a lot of damage to the animal, especially the respiratory system, and can effect overall animal health and welfare.There is a need to control the ammonia, not only for the animal health but also for the public health implication.

 Adding alum to poultry litter is known to reduce ammonia concentration in poultry houses, its effects on greenhouse gas emissions had been unknown.

 MODE OF ACTION; The carbon dioxide was reduced in two ways.First, because alum is an acidic product, it reduces microbial activity in the litter and reduces the ammonia emissions.

.Ammonia comes from uric acid being broken down by bacteria and enzymes. Once the uric acid is broken down, two products are created -- one is ammonia and one is carbon dioxide..By reducing the bacterial activity, the ammonia concentration and also the carbon dioxide reduce.

 Second: by using acid-based litter amendments in poultry litter, growers can reduce the ventilation rate and reduce fuel used for heating the poultry houses, especially during the winter.

 In the broiler industry, there is a need to control ammonia to improve animal health and welfare. They have to keep the bird comfortable with optimum temperatures.

 However, if you want to have lower ammonia level you have to bring in more fresh air to remove more of the ammonia-laden air. This will result in over ventilation of the house,resulting in more cost to keep the house warm.

 The use of the acid-based litter amendments, will reduce the ventilation rate and the rate of fuel used, which reduces the carbon dioxide emission from the house through the heating process.

 Thus if the microbial activity is reduced and also reduce the heating, there will be lower carbon dioxide emissions.
 Story source; papers from university of Delaware.