HOW TO EFFECTIVELY CONTROL ODOUR EMISSIONS

Control Odour Emissions with Silsoe Odours

Operators sometimes view odour control equipment as too costly. However, it is often necessary to prevent odour nuisance, comply with operating permits and minimise odour complaints. Fortunately, you can take practical measures to limit odour emissions before you resort to costly equipment. In this article, we explore effective strategies for controlling odour emissions.

1. DESIGN EFFECTIVE ODOUR CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS

A good process design from the start, or even in later re-designs, can help contain odours. In other words, design the problem out when it’s easy to do so. This approach is more cost and time effective than relying on “end-of-pipe” technology. Plus, it usually involves significantly less effort.

There are a few different ways you can achieve containment. Ensure you focus on a design that contains emissions within the building space. For instance, use covered process equipment or lidded hoppers for raw materials. You can then duct the contained odour to abatement equipment without it escaping the building. You can also eliminate unintentional holes in buildings and keep all doors and windows closed.

To minimise odour emissions, it is crucial to address all exposed surface areas of raw materials, stores, vehicle unloading and handling of putrescible materials. By designing a process that contains odours at the source, you can minimise the need for expensive odour control equipment later.

Possible sources of odour emissions include:

Flexible curtains can help contain odour emissions inside a building

doors and windows
accidental ventilation of buildings and storage areas
holes in the fabric of the building
poorly sealed buildings (old and new)
badly located ventilation discharge points
storage tank “breathing” vents
uncovered vehicles leaving or entering

2. UNDERSTAND YOUR ODOUR EMISSIONS

A sampling survey will provide quantitative data for use in designing your odour control equipment.

An odour sampling survey will provide quantitative data for use in designing your odour control equipment.

Odour Emissions Sampling

Once you are happy with the steps you have taken to contain odour emissions, you can move on to managing what is left. First, you must identify the most problematic emissions sources. Next, collect quantitative data about the emissions from those sources. For example, the odour concentration and volume flow rate. You may also need a chemical analysis of the odorous compounds. All this data can be helpful in selecting equipment. Your odour abatement equipment supplier will use it to design the most effective equipment for your needs.

Dispersion Modelling

When designing odour control equipment, consider using dispersion modelling. It is a process of mathematical modelling. We use weather data and topography to predict the potential impact of your odour emissions on nearby receptors. We can change the data in the model to show you how improving each emission source will reduce its impact. By doing this for each odour source in turn, we can help assess where to focus your odour control and spending.

3. IMPLEMENT ODOUR CONTROL MEASURES

The odour consultants at Silsoe Odours carrying out stack sampling

A tall stack can help improve an odour’s dispersion, reducing its impact.

Once you have all the necessary data, you can put in place any required odour control equipment. Ensure that you contain high-concentration odours and duct them to this equipment. You can also reduce the impact of odour emissions without actually doing much about the source itself. How? You can improve the odour’s dispersion. The most basic way to do this is to use a tall stack, to provide a high emission point. As long as you can get planning permission, this is a reliable way to reduce your odour impact. Consider including a tall stack (30m) in the planning application for a new site.

4. DEVELOP GOOD OPERATING AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

After investing in good process design and abatement equipment, support it with good operating and management practices. Back up your daily activity with an environmental management system and an odour management plan.

Monitoring is an important part of your ongoing best practice activity.

Odour monitoring is an important part of ongoing best practice for odour

You have gone through a rigorous process to achieve low odour emissions at this stage. You invested in great design and considered how to contain odours inside your buildings. Your odour control equipment is top-notch, thanks to the data you provided. Now you need to protect the steps you have already taken. You can do this by creating an odour management plan and establishing odour best practices across all your sites.

Allocate odour monitoring responsibility to specific members of your team. Arrange for them to have an odour sensitivity test at the Silsoe Odours UKAS-accredited odour laboratory. They can then monitor odour in line with the European odour standard BSEN13725:2022. If you subsequently receive odour complaints, you can show the regulator that you are already taking proactive steps to control odours.

TALK TO US ABOUT ODOUR EMISSIONS

Finally, if you needsupport with containing, managing or monitoring your odour emissions, please get in touch. We have a small but extremely experienced team of odour specialists and are happy to discuss your needs. Not only that, but we are experienced across various sectors. You can reach us 01525 860222 or by clicking below. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Call 01525 860222 or click here for for help managing odour emissions

Updated 3rd May 2023

Control Odour Emissions Controlling Odour Emissions Odour Control Equipment Odour Measurement

by SilsoeOdours
on 15th March 2017

One Response

Smoke Testing Services | Smoke Testing for Businesses | Silsoe Odours says:

5th February 2018 at 12:50 pm

[…] the risk of your building failing to meet its air quality obligations, a proactive approach to odour control comes highly recommended. More often than not, businesses are unaware of odour leakage until it […]

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HOW TO EFFECTIVELY CONTROL ODOUR EMISSIONS

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY CONTROL ODOUR EMISSIONS

1. DESIGN EFFECTIVE ODOUR CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS

Possible sources of odour emissions include:

2. UNDERSTAND YOUR ODOUR EMISSIONS

Odour Emissions Sampling

Dispersion Modelling

3. IMPLEMENT ODOUR CONTROL MEASURES

4. DEVELOP GOOD OPERATING AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

TALK TO US ABOUT ODOUR EMISSIONS

One Response

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