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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 40566

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Prof. Dr. Günther Schauberger

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Guest Editor

WG Environmental Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Interests: annoyance assessment; odour emission; determination of odour exposure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Martin Piringer

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Guest Editor

Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik, Hohe Warte 38, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Interests: odour dispersion; environmental pollution; boundary-layer meteorology; urban meteorology
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Dr. Chuandong Wu

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 100083 Beijing, China
Interests: Odors; VOCs; Olfactometry; Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry; Air Quality; Sensory Analysis

Prof. Dr. Jacek Koziel

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Co-Guest Editor

Livestock Nutrient Management Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Bushland, TX 79012, USA
Interests: greenhouse gases; mitigation of gaseous emissions; nutrient management; livestock production systems; sustainable agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental odor is perceived as a major nuisance by the rural as well as the urban population. The sources of odorous substances are manifold. In urban areas, these include restaurants, small manufacturing trades, and other sources, which might cause complaints. In the suburbs, wastewater treatment plants, landfill sites, and other infrastructures are the expected major odor sources. These problems are often caused be the accelerated growth of cities. In rural sites, livestock farming and the spreading of manure on the fields is blamed for severe odor annoyance. In fact, environmental odors are considered to be a common cause of public complaints by resident to local authorities, regional, or national environmental agencies. This Special Issue of Atmosphere will treat the entire chain from the quantification of odor sources, abatement methods, the dilution in the atmosphere, and the assessment of odor exposure for the assessment of annoyance. In particular, this Special Issue aims to encourage contributions dealing with field trials and dispersion modeling to assess the degree of annoyance and the quantitative success of abatement measures.

Prof. Dr. Günther Schauberger
Dr. Martin Piringer
Dr. Chuandong Wu
Prof. Dr. Jacek Koziel
Guest Editors

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Keywords

odor
emission
dilution
atmospheric dispersion
ambient odor concentration
annoyance
separation distance

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Environmental Odour (2nd Edition) in Atmosphere

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 191 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Environmental Odour

by Günther Schauberger, Martin Piringer, Chuandong Wu and Jacek A. Koziel

Atmosphere 2021, 12(10), 1293; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12101293 - 04 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1700

Abstract

Environmental odour is perceived as a major nuisance by the rural and urban population [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

Research

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13 pages, 4999 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Odour Impact Assessment in a Changing Climate

by Martin Piringer, Werner Knauder, Kathrin Baumann-Stanzer, Ivonne Anders, Konrad Andre and Günther Schauberger

Atmosphere 2021, 12(9), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12091149 - 06 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1714

Abstract

(1) Background: The impact of odour sources as stock farms on neighbouring residential areas might increase in the future because the relevant climatic parameters will be modified due to climate change. (2) Methodology: Separation distances are calculated for two Central European sites with considerable livestock activity influenced by different orographic and climatic conditions. Furthermore, two climate scenarios are considered, namely, the time period 1981–2010 (present climate) and the period 2036–2065 (future climate). Based on the provided climatic parameters, stability classes are derived as input for local-scale air pollution modelling. The separation distances are determined using the Lagrangian particle diffusion model LASAT. (3) Results: Main findings comprise the changes of stability classes between the present and the future climate and the resulting changes in the modelled odour impact. Model results based on different schemes for stability classification are compared. With respect to the selected climate scenarios and the variety of the stability schemes, a bandwidth of affected separation distances results. (4) Conclusions: The investigation reveals to what extent livestock husbandry will have to adapt to climate change, e.g., with impacts on today’s licensing processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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8 pages, 1602 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Additivity between Key Odorants in Pig House Air

by Michael Jørgen Hansen, Anders Peter S. Adamsen, Chuandong Wu and Anders Feilberg

Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 1008; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12081008 - 05 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1844

Abstract

The verification of odor abatement technologies for livestock production based on chemical odorants requires a method for conversion into an odor value that reflects the significance of the individual odorants. The aim of the present study was to compare the SOAV method (Sum of Odor Activity Values) with the odor detection threshold measured by olfactometry and to investigate the assumption of additivity. Synthetic pig house air with odorants at realistic concentration levels was used in the study (hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, trimethylamine, butanoic acid, and 4-methylphenol). An olfactometer with only PTFE in contact with sample air was used to estimate odor threshold values (OTVs) and the odor detection threshold for samples with two to five odorants. The results show a good correlation (R² = 0.88) between SOAV estimated based on the OTVs for panelists in the present study and values found in the literature. For the majority of the samples, the ratio between the odor detection threshold and SOAV was not significantly different from one, which indicates that the OAV for individual odorants in a mixture can be considered additive. In conclusion, the assumption of additivity between odorants measured in pig house air seems reasonable, but the strength of the method is determined by the OTV data used. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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12 pages, 2062 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimenting with Odour Proficiency Tests Implementation Using Synthetic Bench Loops

by Domenico Cipriano, Amedeo M. Cefalì and Marco Allegrini

Atmosphere 2021, 12(6), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12060761 - 12 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1837

Abstract

Uncertainty in the quantification of odour measurements is a difficult (but needed) task. Critical aspects include panel selection (required by dynamic olfactometry), sampling, and stability of the samples. Proficiency tests (PTs) can help evaluate such contributions; however, the classical approach to PTs, in which laboratories analyse real samples taken from the field, are not as applicable in this field, and are often implemented by only using dry gas cylinders containing stable compounds. Consequently, uncertainties related to the sampling activity cannot be assessed. In particular, high odour levels and the presence of water vapour in emission sources can create significative biases due to sampling techniques used and chemical reactions that can occur before analysis. In this work, we present experimental notes, developed using the experimental facility ‘LOOP’, realised at the RSE research centre in Italy, in order to “help” the definition, in an upgraded protocol for implementing PTs for odour determinations. Using this bench loop is advantageous as it involves the possibility of implementing samples in conditions very similar to reality (i.e., high temperatures, high water content, and the presence of chemical interferents). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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16 pages, 5444 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Odour Nuisance Assessment in Urbanized Area: Analysis and Comparison of Different and Integrated Approaches

by Tiziano Zarra, Vincenzo Belgiorno and Vincenzo Naddeo

Atmosphere 2021, 12(6), 690; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12060690 - 28 May 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2974

Abstract

Prolonged exposure to odour emissions causes annoyance which leads to nuisance and consequently to complaints. Different methodologies exist in the literature to evaluate odour impacts, but not all are suitable to assess environmental odour nuisance. Information about their applicability criteria and comparison, is scarce and referred to short time analysis. The research presents and discusses the application of different methods to characterize and assess odour nuisance around an industrial plant localized in a sensitive area. Experimental activities are carried out through a long-time analysis programme. Field inspections and predictive methods are investigated and compared. A modification of the traditional dispersion modelling approach is proposed in order to adapt its application for the prediction of the odour nuisance. The offensiveness and location factors are identified as key parameters in the quantification of the perceived nuisance. The integrated dispersion modelling multi-level approach is highlighted as the most suitable for defining the plant strategies. The paper provides useful information to characterize environmental odour problems and identify appropriate solutions for an effective management of odorous sources, with the aim of reducing complaints, restoring the proper relationship between odorous plants and the surrounding communities and increasing the overall quality of the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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16 pages, 3426 KiB

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The Use of the Odor Profile Method with an “Odor Patrol” Panel to Evaluate an Odor Impacted Site near a Landfill

by Yuge Bian, Haoning Gong and I. H. (Mel) Suffet

Atmosphere 2021, 12(4), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12040472 - 09 Apr 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2331

Abstract

A third-party-trained “Odor Patrol” program was conducted at a school that is about a one-mile distance from a landfill to clarify the odor nuisance problems from the landfill. Every 20 min from 6 to 9 a.m. on school days, the “Odor Profile Method” (OPM) was used with the landfill odor wheel to identify the odor type and intensity of each odor type. This study showed that an Odor Patrol using the OPM can accurately define odor nuisance changes over time and can be used as a method to confirm changes of odor nuisances in a field study. The Odor Patrol only found 13 data inputs of the 1000 data inputs (1.3%) for the 100-day odor monitoring with a landfill odor or trash odor that could cause odor complaints. The Odor Patrol data and the Odor Complaint data compared well. The OPM by an “Odor Patrol” could determine the contribution of the nuisance odors from 6 to 9 a.m. at the school site, about one mile away from the landfill. The study demonstrated a novel approach for odor monitoring by using the Odor Profile Method with an Odor Patrol. The OPM not only confirmed the mitigation of a landfill odor problem, but it also determined odor character, odor intensity, odor frequency and odor duration during this study period. “Landfill gas” was determined to be primarily a rotten vegetable odor with a secondary sewery/fecal odor of lower intensity, and “trash odors” were primarily a rancid and sweet odor with a secondary sewery/fecal and/or rotten vegetable odor of lower intensities generated from trash reaching the landfill. The order of intensity observed from high to low was: Trash odor (Rancid–Sweet) > Rotten vegetable > Sewery/Fecal > Rancid. Thus, trash odor is the major problematic odor from the landfill site. Quality assurance methods were used to remove local odors from the evaluation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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13 pages, 1264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determination of Dose–Response Relationship to Derive Odor Impact Criteria for a Wastewater Treatment Plant

by Yan Zhang, Weihua Yang, Günther Schauberger, Jianzhuang Wang, Jing Geng, Gen Wang and Jie Meng

Atmosphere 2021, 12(3), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12030371 - 12 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1896

Abstract

Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) inside cities have been the major complained sources of odor pollution in China, whereas there is little knowledge about the dose–response relationship to describe the resident complaints caused by odor exposure. This study explored a dose–response relationship between the modelled exposure and the annoyance surveyed by questionnaires. Firstly, the time series of odor concentrations were preliminarily simulated by a dispersion model. Secondly, the perception-related odor exposures were further calculated by combining with the peak to mean factors (constant value 4 (Germany) and 2.3 (Italy)), different time periods of “a whole year”, “summer”, and “nighttime of summer”, and two approaches of odor impact criterion (OIC) (“odor-hour” and “odor concentration”). Thirdly, binomial logistic regression models were used to compare kinds of perception-related odor exposures and odor annoyance by odds ratio, goodness of fit and predictive ability. All perception-related odor exposures were positively associated with odor annoyance. The best goodness of fit was found when using “nighttime of summer” in predicting odor-annoyance responses, which highlights the importance of the time of the day and the time of the year weighting. The best predictive performance for odor perception was determined when the OIC was 4 ou/m³ at the 99th percentile for the odor exposure over time periods of nighttime of summer. The study of dose–response relationship could be useful for the odor management and control of WWTP to maximize the satisfaction of air quality for the residents inside city. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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15 pages, 4108 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Limitations of GC-QTOF-MS Technique in Identification of Odorous Compounds from Wastewater: The Application of GC-IMS as Supplement for Odor Profiling

by Wei Gao, Xiaofang Yang, Xinmeng Zhu, Ruyuan Jiao, Shan Zhao, Jianwei Yu and Dongsheng Wang

Atmosphere 2021, 12(2), 265; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020265 - 17 Feb 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3294

Abstract

Odorous emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) cause negative impacts on the surrounding areas and possible health risks on nearby residents. However, the efficient and reliable identification of WWTPs’ odorants is still challenging. In this study, odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from domestic wastewater at different processing units were profiled and identified using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF-MS). The GC-QTOF-MS results confirmed the odor contribution of sulfur organic compounds in wastewater before primary sedimentation and ruled out the significance of most of the hydrocarbons in wastewater odor. The problems in odorous compounds analysis using GC-QTOF-MS were discussed. GC-IMS was developed for visualized analysis on composition characteristics of odorants. Varied volatile compounds were detected by GC-IMS, mainly oxygen-containing VOCs including alcohols, fatty acids, aldehydes and ketones with low odor threshold values. The fingerprint plot of IMS spectra showed the variation in VOCs’ composition, indicating the changes of wastewater quality during treatment process. The GC-IMS technique may provide an efficient profiling method for the changes of inlet water and performance of treatment process at WWTPs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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17 pages, 4289 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Separation Distances under Varying Odour Emission Rates and Meteorology: A WWTP Case Study

by Marco Ravina, Salvatore Bruzzese, Deborah Panepinto and Mariachiara Zanetti

Atmosphere 2020, 11(9), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090962 - 10 Sep 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2896

Abstract

A wide variability of odour impact criteria is found around the world. The objective of this research work was to evaluate the influence of the uncertainties related to some individual stages of odour impact assessment in the application of regulatory criteria. The evaluation procedure was established by following the guidelines of the Northern Italian regions. A wastewater treatment plant located in Northern Italy was considered as a case study. Odour dispersion modelling was carried out with the CALPUFF model. The study focused on two phases of the assessment. The first phase was the selection of the meteorology datasets. For low odour concentration thresholds (C_T = 1 OU m⁻³), the results showed that two different years (2018 and 2019) provided similar patterns of the separation distances. The difference between the two years tended to increase by increasing the value of the concentration threshold (C_T = 3 OU m⁻³ and C_T = 5 OU m⁻³). The second phase of the assessment was the selection of the open field correction method for wind velocity used in the calculation of odour emission rates (OERs). Three different relationships were considered: the power law, the logarithmic law and the Deaves–Harris (D–H) law. The results showed that OERs and separation distances varied depending on the selected method. Taking the power law as the reference, the average variability of the separation distances was between −7% (D–H law) and +10% (logarithmic law). Higher variability (up to 25%) was found for single transport distances. The present study provides knowledge towards a better alignment of the concept of the odour impact criteria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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19 pages, 4133 KiB

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Are Empirical Equations an Appropriate Tool to Assess Separation Distances to Avoid Odour Annoyance?

by Marlon Brancher, Martin Piringer, Werner Knauder, Chuandong Wu, K. David Griffiths and Günther Schauberger

Atmosphere 2020, 11(7), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11070678 - 27 Jun 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2368

Abstract

Annoyance due to environmental odour exposure is in many jurisdictions evaluated by a yes/no decision. Such a binary decision has been typically achieved via odour impact criteria (OIC) and, when applicable, the resultant separation distances between emission sources and residential areas. If the receptors lie inside the required separation distance, odour exposure is characterised with the potential of causing excessive annoyance. The state-of-the-art methodology to determine separation distances is based on two general steps: (i) calculation of the odour exposure (time series of ambient odour concentrations) using dispersion models and (ii) determination of separation distances through the evaluation of this odour exposure by OIC. Regarding meteorological input data, dispersion models need standard meteorological observations and/or atmospheric stability typically on an hourly basis, which requires expertise in this field. In the planning phase, and as a screening tool, an educated guess of the necessary separation distances to avoid annoyance is in some cases sufficient. Therefore, empirical equations (EQs) are in use to substitute the more time-consuming and costly application of dispersion models. Because the separation distance shape often resembles the wind distribution of a site, wind data should be included in such approaches. Otherwise, the resultant separation distance shape is simply given by a circle around the emission source. Here, an outline of selected empirical equations is given, and it is shown that only a few of them properly reflect the meteorological situation of a site. Furthermore, for three case studies, separation distances as calculated from empirical equations were compared against those from Gaussian plume and Lagrangian particle dispersion models. Overall, our results suggest that some empirical equations reach their limitation in the sense that they are not successful in capturing the inherent complexity of dispersion models. However, empirical equations, developed for Germany and Austria, have the potential to deliver reasonable results, especially if used within the conditions for which they were designed. The main advantage of empirical equations lies in the simplification of the meteorological input data and their use in a fast and straightforward approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Summary and Overview of the Odour Regulations Worldwide

by Anna Bokowa, Carlos Diaz, Jacek A. Koziel, Michael McGinley, Jennifer Barclay, Günther Schauberger, Jean-Michel Guillot, Robert Sneath, Laura Capelli, Vania Zorich, Cyntia Izquierdo, Ilse Bilsen, Anne-Claude Romain, Maria del Carmen Cabeza, Dezhao Liu, Ralf Both, Hugo Van Belois, Takaya Higuchi and Landon Wahe

Atmosphere 2021, 12(2), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020206 - 03 Feb 2021

Cited by 50 | Viewed by 15884

Abstract

When it comes to air pollution complaints, odours are often the most significant contributor. Sources of odour emissions range from natural to anthropogenic. Mitigation of odour can be challenging, multifaceted, site-specific, and is often confounded by its complexity—defined by existing (or non-existing) environmental laws, public ordinances, and socio-economic considerations. The objective of this paper is to review and summarise odour legislation in selected European countries (France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium), North America (the USA and Canada), and South America (Chile and Colombia), as well as Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) and Asia (Japan, China). Many countries have incorporated odour controls into their legislation. However, odour-related assessment criteria tend to be highly variable between countries, individual states, provinces, and even counties and towns. Legislation ranges from (1) no specific mention in environmental legislation that regulates pollutants which are known to have an odour impact to (2) extensive details about odour source testing, odour dispersion modelling, ambient odour monitoring, (3) setback distances, (4) process operations, and (5) odour control technologies and procedures. Agricultural operations are one specific source of odour emissions in rural and suburban areas and a model example of such complexities. Management of agricultural odour emissions is important because of the dense consolidation of animal feeding operations and the advance of housing development into rural areas. Overall, there is a need for continued survey, review, development, and adjustment of odour legislation that considers sustainable development, environmental stewardship, and socio-economic realities, all of which are amenable to a just, site-specific, and sector-specific application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Odour)

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