The air washer: don't throw the baby out with the bathwater

The air scrubber: the solution for farmers to enable business development within the requirements set by the government. It is also a solution for the government to counter increasing environmental pressure. A win-win situation you would say, but that time seems to have passed.

Air scrubbers do not do what they promise. Research by Wageningen UR, commissioned by the government, shows that combi air scrubbers achieve an average ammonia reduction of 59% instead of the expected 85%. In addition, they achieve an odor reduction of 40% instead of 81%.

Secretary of State Stientje Van Veldhoven (Infrastructure and Water Management) stated that the measurement results lead to an adjustment of the reduction figures for odor. Follow-up measurements will be made and if the measurement results correspond to the indicative measurements, an adjustment of the reduction figures is conceivable.

Consequences for the country
The adjustment in odor reduction has consequences for the entire country. I'm already noticing that a large number of applications are put on hold for the time being. The adjustment of the ammonia reduction figure has even greater consequences. The Noord-Brabant Nature Protection Regulation states that stable systems must achieve a minimum reduction of 85%. If the reduction figures are adjusted, the livestock farmers in Brabant will be confronted with a mandatory and accelerated adjustment of their farm.

In addition to not complying with the Nature Protection Regulation, it seems conceivable that the Programmatic Approach to Nitrogen (PAS) will have to be recalculated. The lower reduction automatically results in higher ammonia emissions; it may just happen that the extra emissions have to be extracted from the already scarce development space. My estimate is that the consequences will not be limited to livestock farming, but industry and construction could also be affected.

End of development
It would mean the end of the development of air scrubbers. And that while of all emission-reducing-techniques (think of cooling deck, flushing gutters, reduction of the emitting surface and manure collection in water) the air scrubber was the most successful and effective method. Now in all haste, on the basis of these measurement results, to adjust the reduction figures would mean throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Because no company will put development money into air scrubbers if the future is so uncertain.

The government must give time to improve operations, but farmers also have homework to do. They have the best intentions bought the air washer and have entered into financial obligations for this. Farmers also have to do their very best to optimize the air scrubber. They have made a promise to their environment (in terms of smell and ammonia) and must keep the trust of their environment.

The bacteria in the biological air scrubber are an animal species on your farm. Just as optimal conditions in pigs ensure better results, creating optimal conditions for the bacteria ensures optimal functioning of the air scrubber, and thus better emission reductions.

Jan de Groot is a Licenses Specialist at DLV Advies.

DLV Advice

DLV Advies is an independent consultancy for entrepreneurs, companies and organizations in the agricultural sector. In addition to individual advice, DLV supervises study groups and is active in various Agri&Food projects.

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