Hervé Vaillant

Analysis of odorous compounds at municipal landfill sites.

The aim of this investigation was to determine odorous compounds in the air over the landfill sites in France and Poland. Air samples were collected by passive and dynamic methods of preconcentration analytes and analysed by GC-MS and GC-FID. The coupling µTD-µGC-MS was also used for on-site analysis of odorous compounds. The achieved results indicated that the concentrations of odorants in the air varied and strongly depended on the sampling site. The highest concentrations were observed at the points situated near biogas wells and above the fresh waste layer. The concentrations were influenced by landfill activities such as failures of the landfill gas collection system, heavy truck traffic, machinery operations and compacting fresh waste.

Odour-impact assessment around a landfill site from weather-type classification, complaint inventory and numerical simulation

Gases released from landfill sites into the atmosphere have the potential to cause olfactory nuisances within the surrounding communities. Landfill sites are often located over complex topography for convenience mainly related to waste disposal and environmental masking. Dispersion of odours is strongly conditioned by local atmospheric dynamics. Assessment of odour impacts needs to take into account the variability of local atmospheric dynamics. In this study, we discuss a method to assess odour impacts around a landfill site located over complex terrain in order to provide information to be used subsequently to identify management strategies to reduce olfactory nuisances in the residential neighbourhoods. A weather-type classification is defined in order to identify meteorological conditions under which olfactory nuisances are to be expected. A non-steady state Gaussian model and a full-physics meteorological model are used to predict olfactory nuisances, for both the winter and summer scenarios that lead to the majority of complaints in neighbourhoods surrounding the landfill site. Simulating representative scenarios rather than full years make a high resolution simulation of local atmospheric dynamics in space and time possible. Results underline the key role of local atmospheric dynamics in driving the dispersion of odours. The odour concentration simulated by the full-physics meteorological model is combined with the density of the population in order to calculate an average population exposure for the two scenarios. Results of this study are expected to provide helpful information to develop technical solutions for an effective management of landfill operations, which would reduce odour impacts within the surrounding communities.

Performance Measurement for the Design of Product-Service Systems

Resources depletion, emerging competition, and increasing individual customer requirements are among the most common trends shaping nowadays manufacturing industry. Product-Service Systems (PSS) are put forth as a potential means for meeting these challenges due to their intrinsic characteristics such as dematerialization, multi-actor perspective, inimitable service know-how, and customer closeness. The scope of this paper falls under a wider topic relating to the development of PSS solutions for the steel sludge treatment sector. More specifically, the paper reports on a combined performance measurement and PSS design approach to support the decision making process on the PSS implementation. The approach takes into account the need for a collaborative effort among the PSS value network actors to successfully implement PSS offers. A case study from the sludge treatment sector is used to illustrate the synergies between performance measurement and decision making, in the PSS context.