Ammonia neutralization on farms
An inherent element of poultry production is the emission of chemical, physical and microbiological impurities. The most troublesome chemical impurity for both people and animals, and for the natural environment, is undoubtedly ammonia. The main source of ammonia associated with poultry farms is the direct emission of the substance from production houses and the places of storage of bedding. Ammonia emission per 1000 egg-layers kept in battery cages oscillates around 4.9 to 6.7 g/h, which gives 42.9 to 58.7 kg NH3 per year. The global ammonia emission is estimated as c. 62 million tons a year, half of which comes from agriculture-related sources, mainly animal farms. In Poland the share of agriculture in ammonia emission has been estimated by the Centre of Emission Inventorying to be 97%, and 70% out of it comes from animal farms, mainly poultry production.