Assessment of Odour Emission During the Composting Process by Using Olfactory Methods and Gas Sensor Array Measurements

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 25; no. 10; p. 3153
• Main Authors: Szyłak-Szydłowski, Mirosław, Kos, Wojciech, Tarakowski, Rafał, Tkaczyk, Miłosz, Borowik, Piotr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16.05.2025; MDPI
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Biodegradation; Biological activity; Chromatography; compost; Composting; Composting - methods; Electronic Nose; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - instrumentation; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Gases; Gases - analysis; Humans; Measurement; Measurement techniques; measurements; Methods; Odorants - analysis; odour emission; olfactometry; Olfactometry - methods; Performance evaluation; Sensors; Soil; Surveillance; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - analysis; waste; Poland; waste; VOC measurements; compost; olfactometry; electronic nose; odour emission; measurements
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s25103153

The final stage of green waste treatment typically occurs in composting plants, where waste is biologically stabilised through the activity of microorganisms. The composting process is accompanied by the emission of volatile organic compounds responsible for odour perception. Such nuisance odours are commonly regarded as atmospheric air pollutants and are subject to monitoring and legal regulation. Olfactometry remains the standard method for quantifying odours. Unfortunately, due to its dependence on human evaluators, it is often regarded as both labour-intensive and costly. Electronic noses are an emerging measurement method that could be used for such applications. This manuscript reports experimental measurements that were carried out at a composting facility specialising in the processing of biodegradable materials. VOC concentration was measured by the TSI OmniTrak™ Solution. The efficiency of the deodourisation process was evaluated by means of field olfactometry. A gas sensor array of a PEN3 electronic nose was used for the on-site measurements of emitted gas characteristics. A strong correlation between measurements by the three distinct techniques was confirmed. Three different phases of the composting process could be distinguished in the collected results.