PROGRAMME

Odours emitted from industrial and environmental protection plants have been included among atmospheric pollutants as they are cause of annoyance for the exposed residents. The control of the odour emissions is therefore a key aspect to pursue. The research presents and discusses the development of an innovative odour monitoring system based on the combination of analytical instruments and intense citizen participation, with the aim of continuously control the odour emissions and evaluating their real annoyance. The experimental activities were carried out with reference to a real application case in a sensitive municipality in which are located several odour emitting plants. To engage social participation, a specific mobile phone application was developed. Regards to the analytical measurements, advanced instrumental odour monitoring systems (IOMS) were installed on the territory. All the measures collected were directed to a web platform, aimed at data processing. Interactive maps able to proactively identify possible undesirable conditions linked to odour annoyance events were generated in real-time, representing the output of the integrated system. The results demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed odour monitoring system for odour management and the importance of applying the citizen science approach to assess real perception and thus avoid complaints.