The Development and Evaluation of an Enhanced Electrostatic Precipitator for Poultry Dust Removal

Particulate emissions are one of the main air quality concerns in poultry farms and other animal feeding operations (AFO) and especially are significant in poultry AFOs. It can cause health damage to the AFO worker, become a nuisance to the neighborhoods, and result in violations of the Clean Air Act. This Phase I study focuses on an innovative particulate control technology utilizing an enhanced electrostatic precipitator (eESP) to control effectively poultry AFO dust emissions, which are high in flow rate and low in residence time compared with conventional ESPs. The eESP will be developed based on experience gathered by the research team in researching atypical ESP designs and emission sources. The design parameters for this application will be unique as a result of the unique nature of poultry farm operating conditions and emission points. The eESP will be compact so that it can be placed in the duct immediately downstream of the exhaust fans. The duct may need to be extended depending on its configuration. The discharge electrodes will be wires or wire meshes made of low-cost materials. The electrodes will be energized only when the exhaust fans are turned on. The various configurations of the charging and collection electrodes will be tested. The operating conditions will require that the resulting technology be affordable, simple, and safe to use; have very low pressure drops; and be very low maintenance for AFO owners. Its dust removal efficiency will be tested with representative poultry dust obtained from operating poultry farms. A market analysis will be performed and the potential commercial development will be evaluated. Proper quality assurance and quality control guidelines will be followed. Proper reporting procedures will be followed. ESPs have been used widely in industrial applications, especially for the control of particulate emissions and have been proven highly effective in dust removal. They inherently have very low pressure drops, which will reduce the operating costs significantly for AFO owners by eliminating the need for increased ventilation fan horsepower.