Find the hotspot of your odour emissions!

Many make the mistake of treating the entire site when there is an odour complaint, yet the first and most important step is to find the hotspot of the odour.

When a new odour complaint arises, the first question for many operators is: how can the problem be eliminated as quickly as possible?

Professional experience shows, however, that the effective solution is not always a costly investment covering the entire site. It is often much more effective to identify the dominant odour emission source.

The first step of the investigation: finding the odour source

Before tackling odour problems, it is important to clarify some basic questions.

Is the site in question really causing the odour load?

Which process points contribute most to the emissions?

Under what operating conditions does the problem occur?

After that, the following methods may be needed to assess the odour load:

• analysis of the complaints log,

• on-site inspections,

• odour measurement,

• comparison of emission sources.

The aim is not simply to prove that odour is present, but to determine exactly where the greatest odour load is generated.

A smaller intervention often brings bigger results

Within a site, not every process element necessarily poses the same risk.

A significant odour emission point may be, for example:

• a fan,

• a pit or storage area,

• a material handling point,

• an open process,

• a raw material store.

If these can be identified, targeted solutions can be applied that are much more effective than treating the entire site.

There are several ways to reduce odours:

• extraction,

• covering,

• air treatment,

• adsorption or scrubbing technology,

• odour reduction systems.

Technology selection is always case-specific. There is no universal odour reduction solution. A livestock farm requires a different approach from an industrial plant.

To choose the right technology, you need to know:

• the source of the emissions,

• the material flow,

• the operating conditions,

• how the emissions change over time.

A well-designed odour control technology intervenes exactly where the greatest reduction in load can be achieved.