Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Environ Int. 2020 Jan;134:105261. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105261. Epub 2019 Nov 6.
Odors have received increasing attention among atmospheric pollutants. Indeed, odor emissions are a common source of complaints, affecting the quality of life of humans and animals. The odor is a property of a mixture of different volatile chemical species (sulfur, nitrogen, and volatile organic compounds) capable of stimulating the olfaction sense sufficiently to trigger a sensation of odor. The impact of odors on the surrounding areas depends on different factors, such as the amount of odors emitted from the site, the distance from the site, weather conditions, topography, other than odors sensitivity and tolerance of the neighborhood. Due to the complexity of the odor issue, the aim of this review was to give an overview of: (i) techniques (sensorial and analytical) that can be used to determine a quantitative and qualitative characterization; (ii) air dispersion models applied for the evaluation of the spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric pollutants in terms of concentration in air and/or deposition in the studied domain; (iii) major sources of odor nuisance (waste and livestock); (iv) mitigation actions against odor impact. Among sensorial techniques dynamic olfactometry, field inspection, and recording from residents were considered; whereas, for analytical methodologies: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, identification of specific compounds, and electronic nose. Both kinds of techniques evaluate the odor concentration. Instead, to account for the effective impact of odors on the population, air dispersion models are used. They can provide estimates of odor levels in both current and future emission scenarios. Moreover, they can be useful to estimate the efficiency of mitigation strategies. Most of the odor control strategies involve measures oriented to prevent, control dispersion, minimize the nuisance or remove the odorants from emissions, such as adequate process design, buffer zones, odor covers, and treatment technologies.
气味作为大气污染物越来越受到关注。事实上，气味排放是投诉的常见来源，影响人类和动物的生活质量。气味是不同挥发性化学物质（硫、氮和挥发性有机化合物）混合物的特性，这些物质能够充分刺激嗅觉，引发气味感觉。气味对周围地区的影响取决于不同的因素，例如从现场排放的气味量、与现场的距离、天气条件、地形，以及周围环境的气味敏感性和耐受性。由于气味问题的复杂性，本次综述的目的是概述：（i）可用于确定定量和定性特征的技术（感官和分析）；（ii）适用于评估大气污染物在空气浓度和/或研究区域沉积时空分布的空气扩散模型；（iii）主要的气味污染源（废物和牲畜）；（iv）减轻气味影响的措施。在感官技术方面，考虑了动态嗅闻法、现场检查和居民记录；而对于分析方法学：气相色谱-质谱法、特定化合物的识别和电子鼻。这两种技术都可以评估气味浓度。相反，为了考虑气味对人口的实际影响，使用了空气扩散模型。它们可以提供当前和未来排放情景下气味水平的估计。此外，它们可以用于估计缓解策略的效率。大多数气味控制策略都涉及旨在预防、控制分散、最小化滋扰或从排放物中去除气味剂的措施，例如适当的工艺设计、缓冲区、气味覆盖物和处理技术。
