A portable sensor system for air pollution monitoring and malodours olfactometric control

A portable sensor-system based on solid-state gas sensors has been designed and implemented as proof-of-concept for environmental air-monitoring applications and malodours olfactometric control. Commercial gas sensors (metal-oxides, n-type) and nanotechnology sensors (carbon nanotubes, p-type) are arranged in a configuration of array for multisensing and multiparameter devices. Wireless sensors at low-cost are integrated to implement a portable and mobile node, that can be used as early-detection system in a distributed sensor network. Real-time and continuous monitoring of hazardous air-contaminants (e.g., NO 2, CO, SO 2, BTEX, etc.) has been performed by in-field measurements. Moreover, monitoring of landfill gas generated by fermentation of wastes in a municipal site has been carried out by the portable sensor-system. Also, it was demonstrated that the sensor-system is able to assess the malodours emitted from a municipal waste site and remarkably compared to the olfactometry method based on a trained test panel. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.