Reducing ammonia gas from chicken manure with lime and soybean plants

This research is aimed at addressing the complaints of local people living near chicken farms who are disturbed by odors caused by livestock activities, and specifically, by the generation of ammonia gas from chicken manure. Methods that are expected to reduce the intensity of ammonia gas odors include both scattering lime on the surface of the soil and planting soybeans around the cages. The results obtained showed a reduction in the levels of ammonia gas by 57.48%–from 1.67 parts per million (ppm) near an untreated cage to 0.71 ppm near the cage that achieved the best results. The study found that spreading lime evenly over the chicken manure was the most effective method that farmers could use to reduce ammonia odors. The sample area treated by the addition of soybean plants showed a reduction in the levels of ammonia gas from 1.67 to 0.78 ppm.