An evaluation of masking nuisance odors from a source by chemical and sensory analyses

Abstract There are many products in the market advertised as masking agents used to overpower strong nuisance odors, such as in or around water resource recovery facilities, solid waste processing facilities, landfills, composting sites, and so forth. Very little is known about the chemical component of these masking agents because they are protected by trade secrets. This is a problem for the parties involved, as the process of choosing the most adequate agent for the particular odor source falls into guesswork. This paper demonstrates that it is possible to determine how effective the masking product would be before spending time and resources in trials. It proposes to show this by comparing the Weber–Fechner curves of the odor‐causing compounds known to be emitted at the facility with the curves from the potential masking agents prepared in the laboratory using an olfactometer. Several sensorial examples show that when the Weber–Fechner curves of the odorants and those of candidate masking agents are compared, it is possible to define the effectiveness of the masking agent tested. This is a novel use of the Weber–Fechner curves. The results show there is direct correlation between what is observed by a panel with real life odor samples subjected to incremental dilution and the Weber–Fechner odor intensity‐odor concentration curve interaction between the odorants involved. Future work characterizing additional potential masking compounds by Weber–Fechner accompanied by odor profiling with dynamic olfactometry should shed light on the definitive effectiveness of this method in predicting masking effects and discovering useful masking compounds. Practitioner Points Weber–Fechner curves provide relationships between odorant concentration and odor intensity. Dynamic olfactometry, in which real‐life air samples are sensorially analyzed by the odor profile method after subsequent dilutions, shows that odor masking occurs. Analyzing the Weber–Fechner curves of the odorants present in the dynamic olfactometry test show the existing odorant interactions. It is possible to predict the extent of the masking of potential compounds by comparing Weber–Fechner curves of masking agents against odorants causing nuisance. This methodology could help avoid spending resources in masking field trials that may result in further exacerbating the affected public.