Called EOS Ambiente, this is an innovative system for monitoring the olfactory impact of odorous emissions in ambient air. For example, it can be used at rubbish tips, municipal solid waste sorting and treatment plants, residential and industrial waste water purification plants, farms and livestock facilities, refineries, chemical plants and so on.
This ground-breaking system, a sort of “electronic nose”, has been developed by Sacmi, which has, over the last few days, started working together with Con.Ami by providing them with an initial unit, now installed at the Tre Monti rubbish tip outside Imola. The tip is owned by Con.Ami and managed by Hera.
EOS Ambiente takes readings automatically 24 hours a day and is able to recognise and sort the various odours within the monitored area and measure their ‘odour impact’ in percentage terms, thus providing site managers with useful information for the implementation of projects aimed at limiting odorous emissions beyond the confines of the site itself.
In the words of Sacmi’s President, Mr. Olivieri, “It’s worth recalling that at the end of the 90s Sacmi bought patents regarding the production of innovative olfactory sensors. These involved the deposit of a layer of metal oxide on a tiny 2 mm square ceramic ‘tile’ – and wherever there was ceramic, well, Sacmi was never far behind. We then realised that this technology had good potential for use in multiple process control applications such as food and beverage and, more generally, all our own businesses.
After almost a decade of intense technological development, in 2010 we launched a range called “EOS Ambiente” on the market, a unique range of products specialised in the recognition of odours in open-air environments whatever the weather conditions.”
Mr. Montroni, President of Con.Ami, explains: “As the owners we’ve always been greatly concerned about the impact on the surrounding environment. We want the Tre Monti rubbish tip to continue being a modern infrastructure facility capable of providing the Imola and Faenza districts with fully autonomous disposal of that portion of waste unable to be recycled or re-utilised.
Hence our decision to work together with Sacmi and test out an innovative technology that measures odorous emissions, a vital plant management tool that helps identify the best techniques for processing waste and reducing environmental impact”.