In 2018, LiveCorp began a project to explore technologies that could reduce the risk of hot and humid conditions on livestock transport ships. With funding from the Australian Government, LiveCorp initiated a trial in 2019 to assess commercial dehumidification equipment under realistic livestock export operating conditions - the first field study conducted of its kind.
Dehumidification is fundamentally different from the ventilation system on all livestock vessels currently operating from Australia. It involves a shift from using ambient air with high air exchange rates to the use of dehumidified air with much lower air exchange rates.
The project included a literature review, to provide a better understanding of closed livestock housing ventilation systems across a range of agricultural settings, with a particular focus on the use of dehumidification technologies.