Abstract
Plants (installations) to mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) of municipal solid waste belong to the object group being potential sources of odorants emission. One of the most important parameters of their characteristic is the range of the real olfactory impact. It depends on many factors, such as: the type of emitter (point or surficial) and its characteristics (among other things, height and surface, polluted air stream temperature), emission value and its variability in time, and also topography and land management method and local climatological and meteorological conditions. Assessment of range of olfactory impact of plants is the issue, which may be the subject of theoretical considerations. The search for answers for practical purposes is associated among other things with spatial planning (land use), decision-making on location and land management (improvement of the territory) around the MBT installation and resolving complaints and disputes arising from their nuisance for residents (inhabitants). In Poland, the range of onerous impact of waste management facilities has been, in the past, assessed mainly by the indicator method (based on the widths of the so-called protection zone), and currently is determined using mathematical modelling (especially for of planned undertakings) and direct olfactometric measurements (in the case of existing facilities).
In the paper is presented a general outline of the methodology of assessment of a range of olfactory impact of fugitive emission from surficial sources. Theoretical considerations are illustrated on the example of the results of the examinations of large plant (installation) of the mechanical-biological treatment of waste. During the examinations, apart from usual odour emission and dispersion processes, the effect of the convective vertical flow of the odorant-polluted air effect was observed.
The research program includes twelve series of direct olfactometric measurements (with field olfactometers) and odorimetric observations in measurement-observation (receptor) points, deployed in and around the MBT installation. In each series has been tagged the background of air polluted with odorants (on the windward side of MBT installation). The olfactometric examinations were carried out by method of identification and with characterizing the trail of the odour emitted from the explored source. The receptor points were determined mainly in the area, in which the odours were uniquely identifiable as to their origin. In addition, has been made one “intervention” series of odorimetric observations. During field examinations, olfactometric measurements were carried out with control of the current meteorological situation – measurements and observations of the weather conditions (wind, temperature and relative humidity of the air, the degree of cloudiness).
