Evaluation of commercial odor control agents for suppressing Escherichia coli in swine manure slurry

Ten commercially available manure odor control agents were evaluated in bench-scale laboratory microcosms for their ability to inhibit or kill Escherichia coli, a commonly used indicator of fecal pollution and a potential pathogen. At manufacturer recommended rates, none of the agents reduced viable populations of E. coli in pure cultures or in swine manure slurry. However, at rates 10-fold higher than those recommended by the manufacturer, EnviroPur rapidly reduced viable populations of E. coli. Accelerated death of E. coli was observed at temperatures as low as 4 degrees C. Chemical analysis of EnviroPur indicated that it contains alkylphenol polyethoxylates, common industrial surfactants. These results suggest that at manufacturer-recommended rates, the odor-controlling agents would not be effective at suppressing E. coli in stored swine manure slurry.