Analysis of volcanic gases by means of electronic nose

Abstract

Analysis of fumarolic gases, released in high activity volcanic areas, can significantly help risk assessment process. Current methods require a considerable amount of time for a complete analysis and this can hamper their predictive capabilities for high-energy events. If sampled at high frequency, the composition of volcanic gases can provide a further insight in volcanic processes that is unachievable with traditional methods. In this work, we propose the use of an e-nose, hosting both commercial and ENEA developed gas sensors, for the analysis of fumarolic gases within Solfatara crater. This e-nose can be used as sensing unit in a networked scenario in order to provide information on the dynamics of large or complex volcanic areas.