Abstract
Abstract. Most odor nuisance investigations rely on either human olfactory examination or on-site sampling and analytical techniques, but these methods are often subject to spatial and temporal limitations and thus impractical for locating odor emission sources. This study developed an alternative approach with a dual-optical sensing system, a meteorological station, and the combination of factor and cluster analyses to identify and characterize emission sources of multiple air contaminants. Factor and cluster analyses were employed to establish the emission profile of multiple odorous substances from each emission source. Both receptor and source monitoring data were collected to characterize the emission sources of various odorous substances. Open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) as a receptor path detected concurrent trends of several organic solvents with concentrations higher than the reference odor threshold values, indicating that these compounds were potential causes of odor nuisance. Qualitative source apportionment by factor and cluster analyses suggested that these odorous substances were used as organic solvents in surface coating or painting processes. Closed-cell Fourier transform infrared (CC-FTIR) at two nearby surface-coating companies indicated that only one company's stack exhibited the same odorous substance profile found by the OP-FTIR receptor path. The major odor emission source was thus identified in this study. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using the alternative investigative framework to successfully identify emission sources from an industrial odor nuisance site. The major emission sources were identified, and future enforcement plans can be conducted to enhance odor investigation efficiency and improve overall air quality.
Highlights
The rapid growth of the economy and industrialization have led to environmental pollution problems, and an increase in environmental nuisance complaints has been evidenced in recent years
With residential area gradually expanding to industrial districts, odor nuisance has become another critical problem related to industrial Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions, with a great impact on quality of life
This study developed an alternative investigative framework for detecting air pollution sources of odor nuisance by measuring 16 gas species simultaneously using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements and factor analyses to identify and characterize emission sources of multiple air contaminants
Summary
The rapid growth of the economy and industrialization have led to environmental pollution problems, and an increase in environmental nuisance complaints has been evidenced in recent years. With more than 93 265 complaints, representing 33.7 % of total reported environmental nuisances (Fig. 1), odor nuisances have been ranked as the leading cause of environmental nuisances in Taiwan (Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency, 2017). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are one of the factors contributing to odors and triggering various health problems, such as asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis (Pride et al, 2015). With residential area gradually expanding to industrial districts, odor nuisance has become another critical problem related to industrial VOC emissions, with a great impact on quality of life. Identifying the emission sources responsible for VOCs and odors remains a great challenge. Most odor nuisance investigations rely on either human olfactory examination or onsite sampling and analytical techniques (Merlen et al, 2017)
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