Electronic Nose for Environmental Monitoring: Features

Electronic Nose for Environmental Monitoring: Features

Question: Nagpur based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute of CSIR and CDAC from the DeiTY have collaborated to develop an Electronic Nose for environmental monitoring. Discuss the features of this innovative invention.

- Nagpur based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute/NEERI of CSIR has collaborated with DeiTY’s CDAC to develop an Electronic Nose for environmental monitoring

- This can help to sniff out numerous types of organic compounds and odourants which are volatile with the aim of protecting the health of 1000s of workers

- This portable device is involved in measuring the concentration and intensity of odour

- This portable device is a sensor based one which can be used for environmental monitoring as well

- This has been the first scientific attempt in India to develop such a product through odour sensors making use of intelligent software to monitor odorous molecules

- This trains software by letting in information into the system based on expert observations

- The specific type of environmental monitoring is with respect to the pulp and paper industry which can emit numerous gases viz H2S, Methyl Mercaptan, dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide all beyond large concentration impact human health

- Recently developed Electronic Nose is oriented towards constant monitoring of these poisonous gases

- Overcoming limitations of analytical instruments, this Electronic Nose has been easily operated at the pulp and paper mill industry

How It Works

- Electronic Nose uses an array of sensors which can function on the principle similar to human olfaction

- Sensor array generated a pattern associated with a certain type of aroma

- Patterns obtained are used to interpret and distinguish between various doors and odourants and recognise new patterns using mathematical technicals such as the following:

- Pattern recognition algorithms,

- Principal component analysis,

- Discriminant function analysis,

- Cluster analysis,

- Artificial neural networks.

- Researchers are working on application of Electronic Nose to monitor gas emissions from any source including industry or leakage of petrol through fields and farms

Facts and Stats

- Currently, the Electronic Nose is functioning at the Mysore Paper Mills Limited, Bhadravathi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Paper Mill.

- It has also established a correlation between sensory and analytical measurement for sulphurous waste generated from tanneries, distillers and pulp and paper industries