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The livestock industry in the United States has experienced significant concentration and vertical integration in recent years. This change has resulted in greater observed levels of pollution attributed to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) and society has attempted to use regulation to remedy these problems. Despite regulation at the federal and local level no documented improvement in water quality has been observed to date. This thesis is concerned with the response of profit-maximizing economic agents to the form of environmental regulation adopted at the federal level. A theoretical model of firm profit is proposed and analyzed using comparative statics to derive a variety of firm and policy relevant results. A qualitative discussion of monitoring and enforcement aspects of regulation and transaction costs in public policy implementation is provided. Results suggest that the form that regulation has taken fails to address the economic decision making process of the firm and thus fails to create incentives for more environmentally benign behavior.

Air quality modeling is a recent development in atmospheric science dedicated to simulating the characteristics of surface emissions within the context of a variety of meteorological conditions. In western Kentucky, there are several concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that emit a variety of gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO2). The hypothesis was that the concentration and spread of SO2 emissions from these sources would differ between wet and dry periods over the CAFO locations. In this thesis, point emissions from locations representing CAFOs in western Kentucky and the transit of SO2throughout the southeastern U.S. were simulated in multiple sensitivity experiments using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRFChem). Simulations were performed for the convective precipitation events that occurred over western Kentucky between July 7 and July 13, 2012. The spatial coverage of SO2 emissions originating from the locations was reduced during precipitation events and expanded during dry periods. The average concentration of SO2 over the study area was also higher during the breaks between precipitation events than during times when precipitation was occurring. The highest concentrations of SO2 exceeding 1,000 pptv remained within close range of the emission locations for the majority of the simulations, except for when local surface winds were blowing at higher speeds. Most emissions from the locations remained limited to the surface and 850 mb levels.

Master of Science / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Philip L. Barnes / Water quality in the United States needs to be improved. Currently, 42% (39% of rivers and streams, 45% of lakes and reservoirs) of monitored surface water is considered impaired, indicating that it is no longer suitable for its designated uses such as drinking, recreation, habitat, food supply, agriculture, and ground water recharge (USEPA, 2000, Carpenter et al., 1998). Nonpoint source pollution can be associated with animal manure. This project focuses on two sources of nonpoint source pollution. The first source is runoff from soils that have been enriched in nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) by manure application. This project evaluates how effective Alfalfa is at removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from nutrient enriched soils. It also evaluates the use of USDA’s Plant Nutrient model in association with nutrient management plans to prevent enrichment of soils. It was determined that Alfalfa is effective in reduction of nitrogen in soils; however, it was not feasible as a stand alone practice to remediate phosphorus. The use of USDA’s Plant Nutrient model indicated that Corn for silage is the most effective crop for reduction of soil phosphorus while alfalfa and the yields produced in 2004 was the most effective in reduction nitrogen. However, the model tends to underestimate soil nutrient uptake, so it is important to have soil tests conducted periodically to prevent nutrient deficiencies. The second source of nonpoint pollution discussed is runoff from animal feeding operations. This paper evaluates the effects of grass filter strips in prevention of pollution transport off of animal feeding operations. It was determined that filter strips with a ratio of runoff area to filter area of 1:2 is the minimum ratio to effectively prevent nonpoint source pollution.

Swine production represents approximately 40% of the world's meat production, and swine wastes contain high concentrations of organic matter, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Swine production is intensifying as meat demand increases and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are becoming increasingly common, making it difficult to treat the waste generated. A system for holistic treatment of swine waste produced in CAFOs was investigated in this study that sustainably generates energy and recovers N and P as saleable fertilizers. The system uses anaerobic digestion (AD) for methane production and solids stabilization, followed by precipitation of struvite (MgNH4PO4*6H2O) and recovery of N by ion exchange onto natural zeolites. This process is expected to mitigate both eutrophication of receiving waters and greenhouse-gas emissions while generating products that meet agronomic nutrient demands; however, the economic and environmental sustainability remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to: (1) evaluate water quality and the fate of nutrients and ions in each step in the proposed system through pilot and bench scale experiments, (2) evaluate content/quality of struvite precipitates formed in wastewater treatment processes, (3) assess basic composition of zeolite materials that are being considered for use as IX materials, (4) quantify the environmental impact of the proposed system, and (5) estimate the economic benefits and costs of the proposed system. The results of a bench scale evaluation of the system show that although water quality greatly improves throughout the treatment process, the effluent water quality has high concentrations of COD (2,803 mg O2/L) and E. coli (106.3 CFU/100ml). This limits reuse options for the reclaimed water, however a variety of on-farm applications may be suitable. During struvite precipitation, the recovery efficiency of SRP was 87% (60 mg/L recovered); however, although measurements that take into account P in suspended solids show a lower recovery efficiency, they also show higher mass recovery (77% efficiency, 66 mg/L recovered). N recovery during struvite precipitation showed a similar trend, with 49% of TN and 7% of NH4-N being recovered. Struvite recovery can only occur from NH4-N and soluble reactive P. The additional recovery observed is likely due to adsorption of the nutrients onto the precipitate. Therefore, to accurately measure and report recovery, measurements of N and P that take into account suspended solids should be used. In most wastes, magnesium is the limiting constituent for struvite formation, but for swine AD effluents, P is the limiting constituent. Therefore, a higher soluble P concentration would increase recovery potential. The majority of the remaining N and P as well as a significant amount of potassium (K) were recovered during IX. Six struvites from commercial processes as well as our bench-scale experiments were assessed and compared by X-ray diffraction, SEM imaging, and SEM-EDX scans. All samples were confirmed as struvite by XRD, however they varied widely in crystal size and shape. The elemental composition of the samples was similar; however, struvite formed from phosphate mining waste had higher amounts Mg and P, indicating more pure struvite formation. The presence of impurities in some samples was likely due to the reactor design and solids separation methods. XRD was also used to confirm the identity of zeolites. Three clinoptilolites had similar crystal size and elemental composition except for Zeosand [reg] which showed a surface roughness, which likely contributes to higher cation exchange capacity. Chabazite has smaller crystal size and larger pores than clinoptilolite, which also likely contributes to its higher capacity. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental sustainability of the system and the results suggested that environmental benefits were provided across almost all impact categories. Two alternatives for raising the pH in struvite precipitation (NaOH addition vs. aeration) and two alternatives for zeolite IX materials (chabazite vs. clinoptilolite) were assessed, but there were negligible differences between alternatives. The system was also assessed at a medium and large scale, and the large scale was more environmentally friendly across all categories. Operational impacts were significantly greater than construction impacts; therefore, the environmental impact of the system can be accurately assessed by only including operation. A life cycle cost assessment (LCCA) was also performed on the system and showed a payback period of 39 years for a medium sized system and 15 years for a large size. This, however, is when compared to a "business-as-usual" scenario and does not consider renewable energy credits or government grants. Furthermore, although a larger system is more economically beneficial, this must be balanced with quality of animal care. From a cost standpoint, IX recovery using chabazite is not recommended and struvite precipitation using aeration is more economically beneficial than NaOH addition.

This paper addresses the harmful effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) within animal farming systems, including poor animal welfare, environmental damage, and environmental injustice. I argue that bioregionalism and socialist ecofeminism can help inform a holistic approach to mitigating these harms and evoke ethical and sustainable animal farming systems. Bioregionalism emphasizes local resource use, community engagement, and ecological knowledge within a specific region, while socialist ecofeminism critiques oppressive systems and seeks to uplift the viewpoints of all beings, including animals, nature, and humans of various identities. Through a scaffolded hypothetical case study informed by the CAFOs-practicing hog farms in the coastal plain of North Carolina, I examine the potential benefits and limitations of a solely bioregional animal farming system followed by the potential benefits and limitations of a solely socialist ecofeminist animal farming system. I then combine the two theories to explore how they complement one another. I conclude that an ecologically informed structure advocated by bioregionalism functioning together with the moral values of socialist ecofeminism creates the possibility for ethical and sustainable animal farming systems.