Measuring odour emission and biofilter efficiency in composting plants by proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry

摘要

PTR-MS (Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry) is an innovative technique that allows thenrapid detection of most volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with high sensitivity (sub-ppb) and byndirect injection. We describe here the possible use of PTR-MS in waste managements andncomposting plants both for the real time monitoring of volatile emissions and, after calibrationnwith olfactometric assessments, for the instrumental determination of odour concentration.nBeside a short description of the technique, we will report on the calibration of PTR-MS data withnolfactometric assessment of odour concentration showing the possibility of a relatively goodnestimation of odour concentration by instrumental data. We will also show how the rapid PTR-MSnfingerprint can be used to visualise the overall effect of a biofilter on the VOCs concentration andnto calculate the reduction of the concentration of single masses and, finally, we will providenexamples of the performances of a new implementation of this technique based on a time ofnflight (TOF) analyser. Instead of the usual quadrupole mass filter, the TOF provides an increase ofnanalytical information and the possibility to separate important compounds that in thenquadrupole version were not or only indirectly quantifiable. In conclusion we suggest that PTR-MSnanalysis can be a valuable tool for the rapid and on site monitoring of odour emission and plantnoperation.