Detection of odour emissions from a composting facility using a QCM sensor array

Odour emissions from a composting facility were detected by using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor array. The array consists of six sensor elements, which were coated with different materials. A series of tests under field conditions showed that considerable sensor frequency changes were detected during the compost-turning period. Using principal component analysis, it was found that more than 90% of the data variance could still be explained by use of two principal components.