Keywords
odour, gaussian dispersion model, landfill, waste
Start Date
1-7-2010 12:00 AM
Abstract
Odour emission from landfill areas has a high potential to cause significantannoyance to people living in their surroundings. In order to avoid odour nuisance, it iscrucial to select the best location in the project phase of these facilities. In the present work,two approaches of the Gaussian atmospheric dispersion model were employed to predictodour impact from a projected landfill area and a waste treatment facility. The firstapproach was a simplified bi-Gaussian Atmospheric Dispersion model developed by theauthors. Calculated odour concentrations were represented using GIS tools (Esri®ArcMapTM software). Regarding the second approach, a commercial bi-GaussianAtmospheric Dispersion one was used. The odour impact of the waste treatment facility isexpected to be low, because of the high efficiency of air biofiltration treatments and thedispersion effect of the stack. The shape and the reach of odour percentile contours werequite similar, providing coherent results between two approaches. Concerning the landfillinstallation, odour concentrations were modelled for the prevailing winds. The resultsobtained with both approaches differ in the reach of odour. The maximum distanceobtained by the simple dispersion model was 1.5 km, compared with the 3.3 km modelledby the commercial one. Both approaches seem to overestimate the distance reached byodour. Meteorological conditions in Mediterranean areas typically present a highproportion of calm winds, and in these situations Gaussian models may present high errors.Field measurements are required when landfill installation becomes operational, in order todetermine the real reach of odour. Bi-Gaussian Dispersion Models may not be appropriateto quantify the odour impact from agricultural sources.
Evaluation of odour impact from a landfill area and a waste treatment facility through the application of two approaches of a Gaussian dispersion model
Odour emission from landfill areas has a high potential to cause significantannoyance to people living in their surroundings. In order to avoid odour nuisance, it iscrucial to select the best location in the project phase of these facilities. In the present work,two approaches of the Gaussian atmospheric dispersion model were employed to predictodour impact from a projected landfill area and a waste treatment facility. The firstapproach was a simplified bi-Gaussian Atmospheric Dispersion model developed by theauthors. Calculated odour concentrations were represented using GIS tools (Esri®ArcMapTM software). Regarding the second approach, a commercial bi-GaussianAtmospheric Dispersion one was used. The odour impact of the waste treatment facility isexpected to be low, because of the high efficiency of air biofiltration treatments and thedispersion effect of the stack. The shape and the reach of odour percentile contours werequite similar, providing coherent results between two approaches. Concerning the landfillinstallation, odour concentrations were modelled for the prevailing winds. The resultsobtained with both approaches differ in the reach of odour. The maximum distanceobtained by the simple dispersion model was 1.5 km, compared with the 3.3 km modelledby the commercial one. Both approaches seem to overestimate the distance reached byodour. Meteorological conditions in Mediterranean areas typically present a highproportion of calm winds, and in these situations Gaussian models may present high errors.Field measurements are required when landfill installation becomes operational, in order todetermine the real reach of odour. Bi-Gaussian Dispersion Models may not be appropriateto quantify the odour impact from agricultural sources.
