Abstract
In recent years, citizens’ attention towards air quality and pollution has increased significantly, and nowadays, odor pollution related to different industrial activities is recognized as a well-known environmental issue. For this reason, odors are subjected to control and regulation in many countries, and specific methods for odor measurement have been developed and standardized over the years. This paper, conceived within the H2020 D-NOSES project, summarizes odor measurement techniques, highlighting their applicability, advantages, and limits, with the aim of providing experienced as well as non-experienced users a useful tool that can be consulted in the management of specific odor problems for evaluating and identifying the most suitable approach. The paper also presents relevant examples of the application of the different methods discussed, thereby mainly referring to scientific articles published over the last 10 years.
Highlights
In recent years, citizens’ attention towards air quality and pollution has increased significantly, and nowadays, odor pollution related to different industrial activities, such as agricultural activities, chemical industries, waste treatment and disposal facilities, and oil and gas extraction or refining facilities, is recognized as a well-known environmental issue [1]. odor emissions are generally considered harmless, in some cases, they cause citizens to complain to local authorities [2]
The odor concentration, expressed in European odor units per cubic meter, represents the number of dilutions with neutral air that are necessary to bring the concentration of the sample the number of dilutions with neutral air that are necessary to bring the concentration of the sample to its odor detection threshold (OT), i.e., the threshold at which the odor is perceived by 50% of the to its odor detection threshold (OT), i.e., the threshold at which the odor is perceived by 50% of the examiners
It does not provide a measure of the odor concentration in ouE /m3, which can only be measured by the reference method at the emissions
Summary
Citizens’ attention towards air quality and pollution has increased significantly, and nowadays, odor pollution related to different industrial activities, such as agricultural activities, chemical industries, waste treatment and disposal facilities, and oil and gas extraction or refining facilities, is recognized as a well-known environmental issue [1]. This project proposes a holistic approach, based on the cooperation of key stakeholders (citizens, regional and local authorities, industries, and odor experts) for the mapping and co-design of solutions, to researching, building, and suggesting an appropriate regulatory framework. Recognizing the lack of information about odor pollution and management as a limit for the successful adoption of citizen science for the management of odor problems, this review paper was conceived within the H2020 D-NOSES project with the purpose of raising awareness about odor pollution and providing a scientific background concerning odor impact assessment methods, which can be used by experienced as well as non-experienced users. The last section proposes a comparison of the different approaches in terms of their applicability and limitations, with the purpose of providing a useful tool that can be consulted for the evaluation and identification of the most suitable methods for any specific odor pollution problem
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