A drone with an electronic nose checked the smell from the sewage treatment plant

The smell from the sewage treatment plant must not be too unpleasant. Despite technological developments, its measurement still comes down to the primitive process of filling the bags with air from the facility, and then evaluating it by testers in a subjective test. No wonder that scientists from the Spanish IBEC (Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia) are trying to replace them with a drone with an electronic nose.

In sewage treatment plants … it stinks. This unpleasant smell, however, cannot exceed a certain limit, and this was checked by a drone with an electronic nose

The drone has several advantages over flesh and blood testers in sniffing excrement. It is definitely cheaper, faster, more effective and provides a “black and white” result, although of course it is not the most important thing in this role, because it is used only for flying with a 10-meter long tube attached to it. It was through it that the air was sucked in, which went to the “electronic nose” (e-nose) and was assessed.

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This whole electronic nose weighs 1.3 kilograms and uses an array of gas sensors and AI-based algorithms to detect and measure levels of foul-smelling airborne chemicals. In his work he compares the concentration levels of sulfur dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, alerting when they are too high, i.e. when too unpleasant odors emerge from the given facilities.

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We are very happy with the results but need more validation and make the unit more durable for the actual plant operation The work may also have an impact on other facilities such as landfills, composting and even large cattle and pig farms which are also known to producing all kinds of unpleasant odors

– said one of the scientists whose work is described in iScience.

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In tests that lasted a good six months, his ratings were found to be in line with those of the human team who looked at air samples collected at the same sites. Unfortunately, we don’t know what this means for the future of the electronic nose drone, but the idea clearly makes sense and potential.