Olores.org Newsletter September 2026

   It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Domenico Cipriano, convenor of CEN/TC 264/WG 41 (“Emissions and ambient air – Instrumental odour monitoring”) within the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).

   Domenico was a senior researcher at RSE SpA (Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico) in Italy, where he led the research group on “Monitoraggio Agenti Chimici e Fisici” (Monitoring of Chemical and Physical Agents). An engineer by training (nuclear engineering, Politecnico di Milano), he devoted his career to air quality and emissions monitoring, combining scientific rigour with a commitment to standardisation and practical implementation.

   The 12th VDI Conference, “Odours in the Environment,” will take place on November 24 and 25, 2027, in Hamburg, Germany, and promises to be a key gathering for odour management professionals from the German-speaking world.

   The previous edition in Salzburg was hailed as a resounding success. Next year’s special theme will focus on “Odour Dispersion Modelling and the Practical Challenges in Real-World Applications.” Suppose you are an expert in odour emissions, ambient air measurements, or odour forecasting, and you know a bit of German. In that case, this is your opportunity to share your insights and engage in discussions with other professionals in the field.

   The open‑source Lagrangian particle model LAPMOD now incorporates the building downwash effect in its algorithm with PRIME2. Designed with odour in mind, it treats downwash at the particle level for point, area and volume sources, removes the need for BPIP preprocessing, and avoids the unrealistic “constant concentration” cavities that can appear with older schemes.

   Odour impacts are dominated by what happens in the first few tens to hundreds of metres from the source. In this near field, buildings can force plumes downwards, enhance turbulence and create recirculation zones that strongly affect ground‑level concentrations at nearby receptors. If a dispersion model gets the building wake wrong, it can easily under‑ or over‑estimate the very concentrations that determine whether neighbours complain or not. That makes the choice of downwash scheme critical for odour assessments around wastewater treatment plants, composting facilities, food processing sites and other installations with complex layouts.

   The recent CASANZ conference in Cairns was a great opportunity for the air quality and odour community to meet, exchange ideas and strengthen professional connections.

   Bringing together the Clean Air & Environment Conference and the Asia-Pacific Odour Conference created a particularly valuable space for researchers, consultants, regulators, industry representatives and technology suppliers. The programme covered practical subjects including odour assessment, emissions, monitoring, modelling, air-quality management and new measurement technologies.