Validation of odor concentration from mechanical-biological treatment piles using static chamber and wind tunnel with different wind speed values
Creators: name: Mirosław Szyłak-Szydłowski
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Space Science
subject: 29999 Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: Medicine
subject: 59999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: 110309 Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Computational Biology

description: The basic principle of odor sampling from surface sources is based primarily on the amount of air obtained from a specific area of the ground, which acts as a source of malodorous compounds. Wind tunnels and flux chambers are often the only available, direct method of evaluating the odor fluxes from small area sources. There are currently no widely accepted chamber-based methods; thus, there is still a need for standardization of these methods to ensure accuracy and comparability. Previous research has established that there is a significant difference between the odor concentration values obtained using the Lindvall chamber and those obtained by a dynamic flow chamber. Thus, the present study compares sampling methods using a streaming chamber modeled on the Lindvall cover (using different wind speeds), a static chamber, and a direct sampling method without any screens. The volumes of chambers in the current work were similar, ~0.08 m<sup>3</sup>. This study was conducted at the mechanical-biological treatment plant in Poland. Samples were taken from a pile covered by the membrane. Measured odor concentration values were between 2 and 150 ou<sub>E</sub>/m<sup>3</sup>. Results of the study demonstrated that both chambers can be used interchangeably in the following conditions: odor concentration is below 60 ou<sub>E</sub>/m<sup>3</sup>, wind speed inside the Lindvall chamber is below 0.2 m/sec, and a flow value is below 0.011 m<sup>3</sup>/sec. Increasing the wind speed above the aforementioned value results in significant differences in the results obtained between those methods. In all experiments, the results of the concentration of odor in the samples using the static chamber were consistently higher than those from the samples measured in the Lindvall chamber. Lastly, the results of experiments were employed to determine a model function of the relationship between wind speed and odor concentration values. <i>Implications</i>: Several researchers wrote that there are no widely accepted chamber-based methods. Also, there is still a need for standardization to ensure full comparability of these methods. The present study compared the existing methods to improve the standardization of area source sampling. The practical usefulness of the results was proving that both examined chambers can be used interchangeably. Statistically similar results were achieved while odor concentration was below 60 ou<sub>E</sub>/m<sup>3</sup> and wind speed inside the Lindvall chamber was below 0.2 m/sec. Increasing wind speed over these values results in differences between these methods. A model function of relationship between wind speed and odor concentration value was determined.