Air Quality and Odour Nuisance

Dr Nigel Gibson

Regulation of odour…….

• Who regulates odours from industry, agricultureand other polluting activities?

• How is odours regulated?

• What guidance is there for regulators andoperators?

• Overview of likely odour compliance approach.

The legislative framework forodourLocal Authority regulated:

• The Planning system

• Local Authority Air Pollution Control under Part I ofEPA’90

• The Nuisance provisions (Part III) of theEnvironmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA’90)

• IPPC under the Pollution Prevention and ControlRegulations 2000

The legislative framework forodourAgency regulated:

• Waste management licensing (Waste ManagementLicensing Regulations 1994)

• Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) under Part I ofEPA’90

• IPPC under the Pollution Prevention and ControlRegulations 2000

Regulatory compliance tests

• Number of complaints

• Subjective assessment/opinion of the relevantinspector to decide whether:

⇒a nuisance has occurred, or

⇒an offensive odour can be perceived

• emission limits of specific chemical

Problems with current approach

• Subjectivity:

• “woolly”

• different things to different people

• some odours more offensive than others

• Difficult to measure at the receptor

• Knowing what species are present doesn’t always tell you

what it smells like

• Lack of regulatory “standards”

Guidance for odour

• IPPC –“horizontal” odour guidance (H4)(unpublished)• IPPC sector guidance notes• Internal Guidance for the regulation of odour at waste

management facilities• Part B guidance notes – Secretary of State’s

guidance notes

IPPC –“horizontal” odour guidance (H4)

• Part 1 –Permitting and Regulation of odour-generatingactivities. This note will:

• Describe the information relating to odorous releases that is requiredfrom the Operator for the purpose of making an application.

• Describe the process of determination and discuss the drafting ofPermit conditions.

• Outline the tools available for the assessment of odour impact.

• Part 2, “Odour Assessment & Control”, will outline:• The principles of odour measurement and prediction,

• The control of odour by design and by operational and managementtechniques

• The range of odour abatement technologies available.

Procedure in a nutshell

• undertake risk assessment

A) identify insignificant sources

B) identify sources amenable to process control

C) identify potential sources of significant release

• assess the impact of emissions from significant sources

• undertake BAT appraisal of options to control emission fromsignificant sources and implement appropriate technology

Goal : minimise ‘harm to the man’s senses’

Regulatory standards

• UK - adopted 5 ou/m3 as a 98th%ile (1 hour)

• Holland - industry specific standards available as a 98th%ile (1hour) e.g:

0.5 ou/m3 for meat processing

1.5-3 ou/m3 for sewage plants

5 ou/m3 for bakeries

• New South Wales - values as 99th%ile (1 second) based onpopulation densities:

Urban (³ 2000) - 2.0 ou/m3

500 – 2000 - 3.0 ou/m3

125 – 500 - 4.0 ou/m3

30 – 125 - 5.0 ou/m3

10 – 30 - 6.0 ou/m3

Single residence (<2) - 7.0 ou/m3

Regulatory standards

• Queensland -• 10 ou/m3 as a 99.5th%ile (1 hour)

Possible regulatory “standards”

• Sources of most offensive odour:1.5 ou/m3 as a 98th %ile of 1 hour averages

• Sources of moderately offensive odour:3 ou/m3 as a 98th %ile of 1 hour averages

• Sources of least offensive odour:6 ou/m3 as a 98th %ile of 1 hour averages

Guidance may suggest including the effects of other factors, suchas fluctuations and source configuration

Other factors which may beconsidered

• Fluctuation e.g. using dispersion modelling

• fluctuation relating to source configuration e.g.– Area near field:2.5 far field: 2

– Line near field and far field: 6

– Point on the surface near field: 25 far field: 7

– Tall stack near field: 20 far field:6

– Wake affected point source near field: 2.5[near field < 1000m, far field x > 1000m]

Example: assessment of ‘before’

393000 393500 394000 394500 395000 395500 396000

Easting (m)

177000

177500

178000

178500

179000

179500

180000

No

rth

ing

(m)

Example: assessment of ‘after’

393000 393500 394000 394500 395000 395500 396000

Easting (m)

177000

177500

178000

178500

179000

179500

180000

No

rth

ing

(m)

Factors affecting change:

• Outstanding appeal by renderer’s association against revisedclause 13 of PG 6/1 (01)

Nuisance control

• In the near future we anticipate the publication of EA guidancedocument on odour. This should provide a consistent approachto dealing with odour.

• The guidance should provide clear guidance for– identifying potential odour sources

– abating odour emissions

– quantifying the magnitude of odour emissions

– assessing the impact of those odour emissions

– setting odour nuisance criteria

• application of this guidance should have a help where nuisancesituations exist.