Environmental

  We monitored oil industry sites on Sydney Harbour and at the Port of Adelaide, South Australia.

Both cases concerned were penetration of nearby residential areas by fugitive odours from distribution plants. We were able to demonstrate what the sources of the odours were, which came from the client’s site and which did not, and how far the odour was invading community housing areas, and at what concentration.

In Sydney, a monitor recorded odours continuously for three months and was logged remotely and reported to the client weekly. The data became the basis for conflict resolution and demonstrating that the company cared about the neighbouring communities.

  Working with local Chinese environmental consultants, E-Nose devices monitored odour at some large apartment blocks three Km across the waters of Junk Bay, from a large waste treatment operation in the New Territories. Continuous monitoring proceeded for one year.

Data informed the HK EPD (environmental authority) which site-sourced odours were reaching the towers and when. The data was used to manage operations of the waste facility and reduce concerns of residents.

  Mk 4 E-Noses monitored three rail yards in Melbourne, Victoria, to alert authorities to the presence of vapours of spray paint in the environment. The devices triggered an alarm when the paint vapour was detected and discriminated against all other outdoor smells. The authorities were successful in apprehending gangs of vandals attacking the trains and rail infrastructure, thereby deterring others and reducing clean-up costs.

  Biofilters at a waste treatment plant in NSW were monitored using E-Noses and demonstrated which filters were spent and which needed refurbishment.

Long term monitoring of the large Melbourne Resource Recovery Facility showed which parts of the site presented the biggest odour issues and that neighbouring activities (non-client) were also contributing to odour reaching a downwind suburb. The efficacy of odour abatement methodology and various chemical sprays was demonstrated using the E-Nose, and guided the client toward the best management practice for their operations.

  Long term monitoring at two sites in the hills adjacent to a pig farm helped resolve a bitter dispute between residents and the farm operator.

The devices provided objective measurements that tallied (independently) with diary reports kept by the residents. The Shire council used the data to quietly resolve compliance issues in what had been a highly acrimonious atmosphere.

  A large waste management facility outside the beautiful coastal city of Coffs Harbour was the subject of complaints about odour from nearby residents and a large shopping mall.

An odour audit of positions across the site at three times of the day demonstrated which area had the highest odour and where they were emanating from. It was shown that odour increased and decreased at various points on the site as the time of day progressed. The contribution of the site-odour to ambient air flowing across the site was measured and formed a basis for confidence by management in answering community concerns. After new waste gas combustion equipment was installed, the work was repeated and the efficacy of the investment in new equipment was evaluated.

  These Victorian sewage treatment operators were early adopters of E-Nose technology. They used it to monitor fugitive emissions from pumping stations across SE Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. They also monitored sewage treatment plants and large areas of soil manufacture, to find out what level of odours were likely to give rise to complaints from residences, and when the odours occurred.

In both cases the Victorian EPA indicated its pleasure that these companies were acting with responsibility toward their communities.

  A three month monitoring study using a pair of e-noses, simultaneously, at two sides of a cattle feed lot, which was the subject of complaints from the residents and the school, showed which odours were coming from the emitting sources on the feed lot, and which were not. Odours which were the responsibility of the emitter were identified using wind direction and both quality and quantity measurements at the e-noses, as well as duration and time, 24/7, of the high odour events. Some relevant odours travelled only as far as the houses and others, on the opposite wind direction, only reached the school. The information has had a positive effect on management of the offending site.

 E-Noses were used to identify odour signatures that might be of concern to town-folk and to alert the plant management when odours reached a defined threshold in the community, so that timely intervention might be effected.