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

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.

Odors Emitted from Biological Waste and Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Mini-Review

“…Recently, this database served as the basis to implement a CALPUFF odor dispersion model to assess the odor impact on the surroundings of the Temuco WWTP, concluding that the creation and use of the Chilean specific database showed much more realistic results than the ones obtained using standard databases [76]. In another recent study, Zarra et al (2021) compared different odor assessment approaches for odor nuisance characterization in an urbanized area near by a full-scale WWTP, concluding that even though air dispersion modeling is a powerful tool for odor nuisance prediction, the fact of coupling and integrating it with other approaches such as field inspections through (i) trained assessors or (ii) questionnaire-based surveys would make the assessment outcomes much more realistic [77].…”

In-Depth Analysis on Odour Dispersion Modelling and Its Applications to Waste Management Operations

“…The exposure to malodorous compounds has detrimental effects on human well-being, which are mainly mediated by psychological effects [13]. The prolonged or repetitive exposure to odorants may cause nuisance.…”

Environmental Odour

“…Although both use the Lagrangian dispersion model CALPUFF, the resulting isopleths of separation distances are very different, which is also attributable to the different OICs used. In contrast, Zarra et al [9] calculated separation distances for hourly average odour concentration threshold values of 1.0 and 1.5 ou E m −3 and the 85th and the 98th percentile, resulting in separation distances of up to a few 1000 m around the source. Zhang et al [10] applied threshold values from 1 to 5 ou E m −3 and percentiles from 70 to 98.…”

“…The assessment of annoyance in the surroundings of an odour source is a complex issue that, apart from the estimation of odour emissions, includes the dilution of odorous substances in the atmosphere and an evaluation using OICs. Zarra et al [9], for an Italian WWTP, and Zhang et al [10], for a WWTP in Northern China, characterise odour nuisance using trained assessors and questionnaires, applied atmospheric dispersion modelling to calculate ambient odour concentrations and used OICs to determine separation distances. Although both use the Lagrangian dispersion model CALPUFF, the resulting isopleths of separation distances are very different, which is also attributable to the different OICs used.…”