Sulfur compounds in gases emitted from stored manure

Under anaerobic conditions, organic compounds containing sulfur break down, forming intermediate sulfur-containing compounds that ultimately form hydr ogen sulfide. The objectives of this project were to determine various sulf ur-containing compound concentrations in collected air and liquid samples f rom stored swine and dairy manure and correlate these sulfur compound conce ntrations with each other Three different manure-handling/storage methods ( a batch study, a semi-batch study, and a field study) generated a total of 52 paired (air and liquid) samples. Of the 20 sulfur-containing compounds d etectable by the analytical laboratory six were detected in the air samples and seven were detected in the liquid samples. None of the compounds was s ignificantly affected by specie (swine and dairy). Concentrations of hydrog en sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, and carbon disulfide changed significantly wi th time. Additional research is needed to further examine the biochemical p athways in the formation of hydrogen sulfide from anaerobically stored manu re.