Lately, the world of livestock and poultry farming has been predominant in the news. Governments are increasingly taking steps to reduce pollution emissions, including those of ammonia from farming activities.
EVALAN has been working on an Internet of Things (IoT) solution that helps farmers monitor their activities (e.g., separating urine from manure, adapting livestock diets or cleaning more often) and to help them prove that they are indeed low-emission farms.
By providing data-driven insight for precise and timely interventions, IoT can help the farming industry reduce environmental impact, diminish resource use, optimize production, and increase welfare within the farm.
The Need
Ammonia (NH₃) is a nitrogen emission generated from bacterial proliferation and further enzymatic reactions of manure protein, uric acid, and urea during the decomposing stage of animal manure and urine. Emissions can vary based on an animal’s diet and its living conditions.
Some studies have found that ammonia gas (NH₃) concentrations can increase up to 100 ppm in livestock barns and poultry coops (Zhao et al. 2007; Arogo et al., 2001). Nonetheless, ammonia emissions from —for example— cows, chickens, or pigs can be reduced with techniques such as:
- Separation of urine and manure.
- Keeping temperature low.
- Frequent cleaning.
- Improving ventilation systems.
- Food adjustments (e.g., low protein feed).
- Manipulating manure’s pH value.
EVALAN’s client needed to detect dangerous levels of ammonia in real time, which would enable them to take necessary actions to correct the situation.
The Solution
The IoT solution offered by EVALAN provides real-time measurement data for the ammonia (NH₃) and CO2 concentrations as well as for the temperature and humidity in a barn. The measured CO2 concentration can be used to determine the ventilation rate of the barn. Using both, the ventilation rate and the ammonia concentration, the ammonia emission can be determined. This solution is currently used in:
- Farms.
- Greenhouses.
- Industry buildings.
The sensors send their measurements directly to Dashboards, where users can see the information immediately and get alerts when off-spec conditions are detected.
Benefits
By monitoring and controlling ammonia and CO2 concentrations in their barn, the client can:
- Accurately measure ammonia levels on the farm and use the information to reduce the farm’s footprint.
- Prove the farm’s compliance with environmental regulations to obtain a low-emission farm permit.
- Communicate to customers that they are compliant with regulations, ethical and non-polluting, thus being able to generate good press among their customers and potential clients.
Our solution is furthermore:
- Easy to install.
- Secure and able to communicate through LTE-M and GSM networks, meaning that they are independent of Local Networks such as WIFI.
- Affordable and has a fixed price. For a set of 3 sensors, the total cost is €2,385, with a subscription of €45 per month for the Dashboard.
- Extendable to fit your needs and include measurements of —for example— methane concentration, light intensity, energy consumption and more.
Innovation
In addition, the farm is now able to include an animal health label —in the form of a QR attached to the purchase trays of its products in supermarkets— as a reflection of the food quality and low ammonia emissions of their facility.
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More Information
Please send us an email to info@evalan.com
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