U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Technology Verification Program
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ETV and Animal Feeding Operations
The U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification
(ETV) Program provides credible performance
information for commercial-ready environmental
technologies for the benefit of purchasers, regulators,
and vendors/developers.1 ETV has verified or is
planning verification tests of technologies for air and
water monitoring, waste treatment and management, and
energy production related to animal feeding operations
(AFOs). These include:
• ambient ammonia(NH3) air monitors
• hydrogen sulfide air monitors
• waste solids separators
• waste-to-energy distributed electricity generation
systems
• innovative anaerobic digestion of animal manure.
This brief provides summaries of verification activities
for these technology types.
Ambient Ammonia Sensors
The ETV Advanced Monitoring Systems (AMS) Center,
operated by Battelle under cooperative agreement with
EPA, has verified seven ambient ammonia (NH3) air
monitors in collaboration with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) at swine and cattle AFOs in central
Iowa. These monitors can be used to measure airborne
NH3 in and around AFO facilities. Airborne NH3 is a
precursor to PM2.5 (a designation referring to fine
particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers in diameter
and smaller) and can enter natural water systems
through atmospheric deposition. Livestock agriculture
is thought to be the primary source of atmospheric NH3
in the U.S., accounting for approximately 70% of NH3
emissions. The ETV-verified monitors were evaluated
for relative accuracy, linearity, precision, response time,
calibration and zero drift, interference effects,
comparability, ease of use, and data completeness.
Verification reports and summary statements can be
found at http://www.epa.gov/etv/verifications/vcenterl-
3Q.html.
Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors
The ETV AMS Center has also verified the performance
of two hydrogen sulfide (H2S) air monitors in
collaboration with the USDA at a swine AFO near
Ames, IA. H2S is formed at AFOs during the bacterial
decomposition of sulfur-containing organic compounds
present in animal manure. H2S produces strong odors
and, at high levels (> 500 parts per million), can cause
death from even brief exposure. The ETV-verified
monitors were evaluated for accuracy, bias, precision,
linearity, span and zero drift, response time, interference
effects, comparability, data completeness, and
operational factors. Verification reports and summary
statements can be found at http://www.epa.gov/etv/
verifications/vcenterl-33.html.
Animal Feeding Operations at a Glance
EPA defines animal feeding operations (AFO) as
agricultural operations where animals are kept
and raised in confined situations. Feed is
brought to the animals rather than the animal
grazing for or seeking food (i.e., in pastures,
fields, or on rangelands). EPA estimates that
there are approximately 450,000 AFOs in the
United States.
AFOs can have significant environmental and
human health impacts, as pollutants from these
operations can impact surface water, ground
water, air and soil. Animal waste and
wastewater from operations can enter surface or
ground waters from both the AFO production
areas and areas where manure is applied to land.
Animal manure can also be a significant source
of nutrient contamination in surface waters and
ground water. Under the Clean Water Act,
AFOs that meet the regulatory definition of a
concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)
are regulated as point sources of pollution to
waters of the U.S. under the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
AFOs also can be a significant source of odorous
and potentially harmful air emissions, such as
NH3 and H2S. In January 2005, EPA announced
the Air Quality Compliance Agreement to
address emissions from certain AFOs. The goals
of the agreement are to: reduce pollution, ensure
compliance with the Clean Air Act and other
regulatory acts, monitor and evaluate emissions
from AFOs, and promote a national consensus
on methods for measuring emissions from AFOs
(U.S. EPA, Animal Feeding Operations).
An Ambient Ammonia Monitor at an AFO
The ETV Program operates largely as a public-private partnership through competitive cooperative agreements with non-profit research institutes. The
program provides objective quality-assured data on the performance of commercial-ready technologies. Verification does not imply product approval or
effectiveness. ETV does not endorse the purchase or sale of any products and services mentioned in this document.
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Animal Waste Solids Separation
The ETV Water Quality Protection Center, oper-
ated by NSF International under cooperative
agreement with EPA, has verified three animal
waste treatment solids separators at a swine farm.
The technologies (an inclined screen, an inclined
drag screen and gravity clarifier, and a solid bowl
centrifuge) were evaluated for their ability to sepa-
rate manure solids from flushed swine waste. The
analyses performed included solids (total, sus-
pended, and volatile), total organic carbon, nutri-
ents, metals, pH, conductivity, bulk density, E. coli
and total coliform. Energy consumption was also
measured. Verification reports and summary
statements can be found at http://www.epa.gov/
etv/verifications/vcente r9-4.html.
Waste-to-Energy Distributed Generation
The ETV Greenhouse Gas Technology (GHG)
Center, operated by Southern Research Institute
under cooperative agreement with EPA, has veri-
fied five waste-to-energy fueled distributed genera-
tion (DG) energy systems in collaboration with the
Colorado Governors Office and the New York
State Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA). The systems are: three technologies
for utilizing anaerobic digester gas to fuel on-site
generation energy systems, and two technologies
for improving gas quality (primarily by removing
H2S and other sulfur species) to make it amenable
for use by DG energy systems. Fuels utilized in
testing of three of the systems were generated from
anaerobic digestion of swine waste at an AFO; the
other two systems were verified at other sites, but
verification data are relevant to AFOs. Verification
reports and summary statements can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/etv/verifications/vcenter3-
17.html
ETV Advanced Monitoring Systems Center
Robert Fuerst, EPA
fuerst.robert@,epa.gov. Tel: (919) 541-2220
Amy Dindal, Battelle
dindala@battelle.org. Tel: (561) 422-0113
ETV Water Quality Protection Center
Ray Frederick, EPA
frederick.ray@epa.gov. Tel: (732) 321-6627
Tom Stevens, NSF International
stevenst@,nsf.org. Tel: (734) 769-5347
ETV Greenhouse Gas Technology Center
David Kirchgessner, EPA
kirchgessner.david(g),epa.gov. Tel: (919) 541-4021
Tim Hansen, Southern Research Institute
hansen@sri.org. Tel: (919) 806-3456
ETV Case Studies:
Demonstrating Program Outcomes
ETV has published two reports, ETV Case Studies:
Demonstrating Program Outcomes, Volumes I and II,
to highlight how verification information generated by
ETV translates into potential and actual environ-
mental and human health impacts. These case studies
provide descriptions of the verification test, verified
technologies, actual outcomes based on evidence
(e.g., regulatory agencies responses), and potential
outcomes based on various market penetration
scenarios. Two types of verified technologies related
to animal feeding operations have been featured in
these case study documents: ambient ammonia
sensors and microturbine/combined heat and power
technologies. Both case study documents are
available on the ETV Web Site at www.epa. gov/etv/
index.html.
and http://www.epa.gov/ety/verifications/vcenter3-
13.html. In 2007, verification testing of additional DG
energy systems, an internal combustion engine-based
combined heat and power system (fueled by biogas from
a dairy farm), and a Stirling engine power generation sys-
tem fueled by anaerobic digester gas, will be conducted
in collaboration with NYSERDA.
Environmental and Sustainable
Technology Evaluations (ESTE)
In 2005, ETV initiated a new element of the program,
Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluations
(ESTE), which is designed to respond directly to high-
priority EPA needs via an internal Agency competition.
In 2006 to 2007, one of the ESTE projects is addressing
technologies related to AFOs:
Innovative anaerobic digester: The project is evaluat-
ing an anaerobic digester for treatment of animal wastes
at a large-scale farm, with energy production and phos-
phorus and pathogen reduction/removal. Methane gen-
eration, energy generation, reduction of organic solids,
and reduction of potentially pathogenic microorganisms
will be measured.
For more information on ESTE, please visit
http://www.epa.gov/etv/este.html.
References
U.S. EPA, 2006. ETV Case Studies: Demonstrating
Program Outcomes. Volume I. EPA/600/R-06/001.
January, http://www.epa.gov/etv/pdfs
publications/600r06001/600r06001pv.pdf
U.S. EPA, 2006. ETV Case Studies: Demonstrating
Program Outcomes. Volume II. EPA/600/R-06/082.
September, http://www.epa.gov/etv/pdfs/
publications/600r06082/600r06082pv.pdf
U.S. EPA Animal Feeding Operations, www.epa.gov/
oecaagct/anafoidx.html.
U.S. EPA, ETV, www .epa. gov/etv.
EPA/600/S-07/012
March 2007
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