Research Title | Assessment and Mitigation of Air Pollutants in Selected Agro-Industrial Operations at MMSU: Towards an Eco-friendly Environment (Program) |
Studies: |
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Researcher(s) | Floramante Pastor, Shirley Agrupis, Nathaniel Alibuyog, Arnold Dumaoal, Honelou Farinas, Prima Fe Franco, Arlene Gonzales, Roselle Mamuad, Saturnina Nisperos |
Research Category | Program |
Research Status | completed |
Duration | Jan 01, 2012 to Dec 31, 2015 |
Commodity | Environment |
Research Site(s) | MMSU |
Source of Fund(s) | |
Brief Description | This program constitute of 4 projects with underlying studies. Proj 1: Characterization and Measurement of Air Quality Parameters in Outdoor/Indoor Spaces Sty 1: Assessment of Air Quality in Selected Laboratories Sty 2: Assessment of Air Quality in Selected Project Facilities Proj 2: Modeling of the Air Quality Impacts of Trikes and Other Vehicles at the MMSU Campus Sty 1: Simulation of the Impacts on the Increased Use of Trikes and Other Vehicles at MMSU Sty 2: Assessment of Potential Exposures of Passengers and Operators to Air Pollutants Proj 3: Assessment of the Effectiveness of Carbonized Rice Hull (activated and un-activated) in Controlling Odor Emission, Bio-aerosol Concentration and Fly Population of Some Agricultural Operations Sty 1: Assessment of the Effectiveness of CRH (activated and un-activated) in Minimizing Odor Emissions, Bio-aerosols and Fly Population in Poultry Facilities Sty 2: Assessment of the Effectiveness of CRH (activated and un-activated) in Minimizing Odor Emissions, Bio-aerosols and Fly Population in Organic Fertilizer Processing Proj 4: Performance Evaluation of Biogas Plants Sty 1: Optimization of Methane Production Through Co-digestion Sty 2: Assessment of Biogas Yield as Affected by Loading Rate Methodology A. Pre-Implementation Phase
B. Implementation Phase
a. Assessment of air quality in selected laboratories - this will entail the following sequence of activities:
Parameters to be gathered and method of measurement:
Frequency of measurement
b. Assessment of air quality in selected project facilities (e.g., livestock project, biochar production, organic fertilizer production, feed mill) - this will entail the following sequence of activities:
Parameters to be assessed:
Frequency of Measurement
2. Modeling of the Air Quality Impacts of Trikes and Other Vehicles at the MMSU Campus - this project aims to characterize and quantify the possible emission of air pollutants from trikes inside the MMSU campus and simulate the possible impacts if this increases over time. Likewise, the project will assess the potential exposure of passengers and operators to various air pollutants. These objectives will be attained through the following component studies: a. Simulation of the impacts on the increased use of trikes and other vehicles at MMSU - this study will be conducted through the following sequence of activities:
Parameters to be assessed and methods of measurement:
b. Assessment of potential exposures of passengers and operators to air pollutants (trikes vs e-jeep) - a comparative measurement of air pollutant emissions from trikes and e-jeep will be done in order to have a more concrete basis of advocating more environment-friendly means of transportation. This study can be done with the following sequence of activities:
Parameters to be assessed and methods of measurement:
3. Assessment of the Effectiveness of Carbonized Rice Hull (activated and un-activated) on Odor Emission, Bio-aerosol Concentration, and Fly Population of Some Agricultural Operations - the objectives of this project will be realized through the following component studies: a. Assess the effectiveness of CRH (activated and un-activated) in minimizing odor emissions, bio-aerosols and fly population in poultry facilities. This study involves two major components: a.1 Laboratory testing - the study will be initially conducted in a bench (laboratory) scale for manageability and to minimize costs. Results will serve as a reference for field-scale testing or validation. This study will employ 5 treatments, 3 replications using the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). However, an increase in the sequence of treatments (more levels) will be tried if the effects of the 2 initial levels are found promising. Hence, the treatments are the following:
a.2 Field testing - to validate the results of the laboratory testing, this will be tested in an actual poultry facility. The most promising level both from un-activated and activated CRH treatments will be considered in the field test, hence it will have 3 treatments replicated 3 times using RCBD. The following treatments therefore will be:
Parameters to be assessed
b. Assess the effectiveness of CRH (activated and un-activated) in minimizing odor emissions, bio-aerosols and fly population in organic fertilizer processing - this study has two sequential activities: b.1 Laboratory experiment - for purposes of manageability and minimizing efforts and costs, a laboratory experiment will be conducted first, then it will be scaled up using the result of the laboratory experiment. Since the treatments are based on two factors (type of CRH (activated or un-activated) and type of application (topical and mixed)), sequential testing will be employed. This means that one level of each treatment will be tested first and a sequence of more levels will be tried if initial results are found promising. Hence, the initial treatments which will be laid in RCBD with 3 replications are the following:
For purposes of consistency, the materials/substrates to be used in the trials will be the same. b.2 Field testing - based on the results of laboratory testing, validation will be done in the organic fertilizer processing unit. The most promising level from each treatment category will be used as treatments, hence the following:
Parameters to be assessed:
4. Performance Evaluation of Biogas Plants - this project entails two component studies: a. Optimization of methane production through co-digestion - for purposes of practicality and minimizing efforts and costs, a laboratory research will be conducted first using the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) bio-digester model to determine the effects of co-digestion using two or more substrates with varying levels. The treatments will be:
Actual field testing on the old MMSU biogas plant will be done using the best treatment or level determined in the laboratory experiment. Parameters to be assessed:
b. Assess the quantity and quality of biogas yield as affected by loading rate - this study will consist of the following activities:
Parameters to be assessed:
Project Duration Since most of the component activities of the program will be done in sequence (e.g., from laboratory experiment to actual field testing), the program is thus proposed to run for at least three (3) years. |
Expected Output | The proposed program addresses a key national challenge, i.e., improving air quality to protect human wealth and the environment. Anticipated outcomes from the proposed program are as follows:
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Abstract | Not Available |