Detailed identification, survey and characteristics of odorant sources in municipal engineering

Aim of project
Municipal objects of sewage and waste management remain an essential source of odorant emission. The project is aimed at the identifi cation of municipal sources of odour nuisance, which encompasses characteristic types of sources, e.g. sewage systems, sewage pumping and treatment stations, sewage disposal objects, municipal waste dumps and compositing plants. It also focuses on surveying the types and value of odorant emission from municipal objects with regard to the intensity of infl uence and nuisance on sensitive objects, e.g. housing estates and areas of municipal usefulness, and determining the variability of this emission and the main methods of its removal. The survey will include quantitative analysis and distribution of nuisance municipal objects (tables and maps).

Odour impact can be very variable, depending on different technological, meteorological and topographical factors. After selection and description of representative objects in particular groups of municipal engineering objects, direct analysis of odorant ambient concentration being the base of disorganized emission evaluation will be conducted. Characteristics of odorant sources with fugitive emission in municipal engineering will include: determining the emission value (measurements and calculations) and the influence range of particular objects (units) emitting odorants in different environmental conditions (direct studies), e.g. effluent discharge points or screening facilities in sewage treatment plants. The studies will also include analysis of monitoring data with regard to processes of formation and emission of odorants in waste and sewage management objects and evaluation of the effi ciency of deodorization processes (mainly biofiltration) in selected municipal objects.

Expected results
The project will encompass general to detailed focus on the topic. After questionnaire examinations and compilation of results, a database will be constructed. The collected data will be used to evaluate the emission and range of odorant influence by direct studies and measurement-calculation methods. As a result, the compiled database will describe the odour influence of municipal engineering objects in Poland. The description of odorant sources will be used in various decisions e.g. in environmental evaluations concerning the influence of existing objects (by their hermetization and deodorization), and location of new objects (with regard to environmental conditioning decisions). The results will be applied e.g. by other research teams already during the realization of the national research project, whereas the data and results will be published (also on the internet) and presented during a research-technical seminar.