Source: Port of Rotterdam, Change your perspective
In the port of Rotterdam, an area where industry and city are fused together, a unique air monitoring system is used to optimize the living and working environment. A network of nearly one hundred electronic noses, planned to be expanded to 300 e-noses by 2016, constantly monitors changes in air composition throughout the port. Tank storage provider Vopak is one of the early adopter of the groundbreaking technology used in the we-nose network. Jos Steeman, Managing Director at Vopak, explains why.
Why did Vopak join the we-nose network?
“In 2009 we experienced that our operations were causing odour nuisance. We came into action but struggled to control the stench our work caused. We tried different solutions in the past years and more recently took precautions like closing off storage tanks, replacing filters and next to that we decided to embrace new technologies to improve air quality. We got involved into developing the e-nose together with the Comon Invent early on, and installed e-noses on our site. What we needed was a device that could detect problems quickly and objectively and the e-nose does just that. We already had around 25 of them on our premises before the port wide network was rolled out. By joining the network and placing 12 e-noses in our surroundings we get an insight in factors that have influence on the spreading of odours. It is complex matter. With the we-nose network we can better interpret possible nuisance and they enable us to take action before stench or hazards occur.”