Aerosol and Gas Phase Concentrations from an Adapted Annular Denuder System in a Broiler Housing Facility

HighlightsAn adapted annular denuder system (ADS) was implemented in a broiler facility to measure secondary aerosols.Results show that secondary aerosols were not always associated with ammonium or ammonia.Chloride aerosols were significant in comparison to other species and were present at consistent concentrations.This study concludes that the chloride source was the feed in the feeding pans.Abstract. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is present in animal housing facilities from both primary and secondary sources. Measuring secondary aerosols in harsh environments with high gas and particulate concentrations, such as poultry housing facilities, is an ongoing challenge. This study presents the results from the implementation of an adapted annular denuder system (ADS) used to measure secondary PM2.5 from inside a broiler facility in Ontario, Canada. Results from this work show that secondary aerosols formed the majority of total PM2.5 during the early portion of the growth cycle. It was further determined that the ion balance between ammonium and anions was not consistent, leading to the conclusion that a significant portion of the aerosol species are associated with a previously unidentified source that is not necessarily due to secondary reactions. Keywords: Ammonia, Annular denuder system, Particulate matter, Poultry, Secondary aerosols.