Electronic nose: a versatile technology for early diagnosis and environmental monitoring

“Implementation of an electronic nose for real-time identification of odor emission peaks at a wastewater treatment plant” is a project developed by researcher Carmen Bax, who works in chemical engineering at MUSA. The project is able to perform continuous monitoring of odorous emissions, providing information on the type and class of odor.

Specifically, the project concerns the development of an electronic nose and its application cases. This versatile technology can be applied in various research sectors. During the Fourth MUSA General Meeting, the application for environmental monitoring was presented, but it is a tool that can also be used for product quality control or for the development of innovative diagnostic devices, as it is capable of signaling changes in the odors of biological fluids that occur with the presence of pathologies.

The electronic nose is therefore a tool that simulates the human sense of smell in the characterization of odors, combining a set of gas sensors with artificial intelligence. It can be “trained” to detect, classify and quantify odors, as happens for humans thanks to olfactory fingerprints. This technology therefore allows us to “smell” the odor and perform a continuous analysis of the odors in the environment.

During the General Meeting, “I told a case study at a wastewater treatment plant, aimed at using the electronic nose technology as a tool for continuous monitoring of odorous emissions,” explains Dr. Bax. “In particular, the instrument aims not only to perform a continuous analysis of the olfactory impact of the plant on the surrounding area, but also to use the electronic nose as a management tool that can be used to identify in real time the operating anomalies of the plant that may generate episodes of very impactful odor.”