New method to measure pig barn odour

Scientists from Aarhus University have now developed a method that can measure which odour compounds the air contains more precisely than has previously been possible.

 

If odours from animal housing are to be reduced by technological means, then it is necessary to be able to measure with a certain degree of certainty if the technology actually reduces the smell. Up to now scientists have used odour panels in which people with a good sense of smell have evaluated how much air needs to be diluted before the smell disappears. This method is not particularly precise which is why it is a breakthrough that a method has now been developed that can measure the odour compounds.

 

The scientists use PTR mass spectrometry to identify the odour compounds.

 

For more information: Postdoc Michael Jørgen Hansen, Department of Engineering, telephone: +45 2162 2710, email: michaelj.hansen@agrsci.dk