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The Lin-Yuan Petrochemical Industrial Park, located closely to a populated area in southern Taiwan, is considered to be a major source of odor events. To evaluate odor impact near the park, establishment of sampling stations specifically for monitoring odor is essential. This study is intended to identify the location of such odor-monitoring stations through actual monitoring of potential odor-causing substances. We also correlate the concentration of the characteristic chemical odorant to the odor concentration perceived by a panel and predicte time and spatial concentrations of the major odor-causing substances using a dispersion model. Air samples were obtained on four occasions from 10 sites that had experienced frequent odor problems in the past. The concentrations of 10 compounds of each sample were quantified with a GC/MS unit. The impact index is introduced as the concentration of the individual compounds divided by the respective odor threshold concentration. In general, there is one specific compound with its impact index 2−3 orders of magnitude higher than other monitored compounds. Air samples were also subject to a 6−8-person panel for the odor threshold estimates using an olfactometer. There is some correlation between the concentration of the major species identified and the odor concentration experienced by the panel. The industrial source complex short-term model was then used to evaluate the concentration profiles of odorous compounds. The same dispersion model was also used to evaluate the odor event, in which the hourly event is defined as the occurrence if the predicted concentration is higher than the threshold value. On the basis of the event profiles, several stations for odor monitoring specifically are suggested.

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