Mitigation of Air Pollutants by UV-A Photocatalysis in Livestock and Poultry Farming: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV)-based photocatalysis has been the subject of numerous investigations focused on mitigating undesirable pollutants in the gas phase. Few works report on applications beyond the proof of the concept. Even less is known about the current state of the art of UV photocatalysis in the context of animal agriculture. A growing body of research published over the last 15 years has advanced the knowledge and feasibility of UV-A photocatalysis for swine and poultry farm applications. This review paper summarizes UV-A photocatalysis technology’s effectiveness in mitigating targeted air pollutants in livestock and poultry farms. Specifically, air pollutants include odor, odorous VOCs, NH3, H2S and greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O). We trace the progression of UV-A photocatalysis applications in animal farming since the mid-2000 and developments from laboratory to farm-scale trials. In addition, this review paper discusses the practical limitations and outlines the research needs for increasing the technology readiness and practical UV application in animal farming.

Evaluation of an Air Cleaning Device Equipped with Filtration and UV: Comparison of Removal Efficiency on Particulate Matter and Viable Airborne Bacteria in the Inlet and Treated Air

“…Filtered far UV-C (207–222 nm) has also been shown to be germicidal and claimed to be less hazardous [ 16 ]. Longer UV wavelengths, e.g., UV-A, can be germicidal, especially in photocatalytic applications [ 17 ]. However, UV-A is not strongly absorbed by genetic material (DNA and RNA) and requires more than a magnitude of order higher dose than UV-C, resulting in higher capital and operational costs.…”