State of the Art and Perspectives in Ammonia and Particulate Matter Measurement in Pig Houses

In Europe, pig farms are responsible for about 25% of NH3 emissions related to the livestock sector, while half of the total Italian pig population is reared in the Lombardy region. This intensive production system has several negative effects on animal welfare and health, as well as on the environment, due to the impact of gases emitted from livestock production systems. Air from pig houses contains gaseous components in addition to dust. High concentrations of ammonia in livestock buildings cause respiratory disease and reduce productivity and fertility. Measuring ammonia (NH3) and particulate matter (PM) in livestock buildings is still a challenge, despite the recent commercial availability of an increasing availability of gas analysers. However, depending on the application, measurement methods may have very different requirements in terms of time resolution and precision of the units of observation. Among the techniques for measuring air quality, certain characteristics can be employed as discriminators to determine the most suitable instrument for a given study objective. These include factors such as sensitivity, accuracy, response time, cost, and operator training. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the different measurement and monitoring systems for NH3 and PM in pig houses described in the literature. The results of this study highlight the frequent use of specific instruments to determine emissions in pig houses. In contrast, there is an apparent lack of cost-effective and easy-to-use instruments for continuous monitoring, which will be useful in the context of precision livestock farming.