Assessment of odours from sewage treatment works by an electronic nose, H2S analysis and olfactometry

Citation
Rm. Stuetz et al., Assessment of odours from sewage treatment works by an electronic nose, H2S analysis and olfactometry, WATER RES, 33(2), 1999, pp. 453-461
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology
Journal title
WATER RESEARCH
ISSN journal
00431354 → ACNP
Volume
33
Issue
2
Year of publication
1999
Pages
453 - 461
Database
ISI
SICI code
0043-1354(199902)33:2<453:AOOFST>2.0.ZU;2-P
Abstract
An electronic nose based on a non-specific conducting polymer array was eva luated against sewage odour concentrations From ten sewage treatment works. Sensor responses from the twelve sensor array were compared using canonica l correlation (a data reduction technique) with threshold odour numbers (TO N) made by dynamic dilution olfactometry. The results suggest that for sewa ge odours from a range of locations within different treatment works, no un iversal relationship is present, whereas a strong correlation can be produc ed between TON and the electronic nose responses (as represented by a canon ical variable) for sewage odours from a single works. Further correlations were achieved between the odour potential of a liquid sewage and the NOSE o utput of a quiescent sewage liquor. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) concentrations, commonly used as measures of odour strength, were also compared with TON a nd found not to be a good marker compound for measuring these sewage odour concentrations. The results demonstrated the ability of an electronic nose to respond to sewage odours over a range of odour concentrations (125-78106 6 odour units/m(3)) and suggest the potential application of such an instru ment to monitor odour emission;in a sewage works, as well as assessing the efficiency of odour abatement units. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig hts reserved.