Odor investigation and response

Bring Science to Your Odor Investigation

Traditional odor monitoring tells you there’s a problem, but not what is causing it, where it is coming from or what to do next. Onterris combines real-time mobile monitoring and odor fingerprinting to help you identify the root cause and focus mitigation where it will make a difference.

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Identify the compounds causing the odor

Move beyond descriptions like “chemical” or “rotten eggs” to understand the specific compounds creating the impact.

Find the root cause of odor, quickly

Differentiate between processes within your facility, neighboring operations and other potential off-site sources.

Focus mitigation where it matters most

Match the right control technology or process improvement to the actual source and compounds, so resources are not spent treating the wrong problem.

Respond to complaints with confidence

Enter regulatory and community discussions with data that guides your response and helps distinguish odor from off-site sources.

Odor response based on data, not assumptions

Rapid odor response

Onterris deploys mobile monitoring when an odor event, complaint or unexpected release requires immediate investigation.

Rapid mobile laboratory deployment
Real-time plume tracking
Targeted sampling around the facility and community
GPS and meteorological data integration
Short-term event and incident monitoring
Real-time identification of organic and inorganic compounds

Odor fingerprinting and root cause analysis

Our team identifies the unique chemical fingerprint associated with individual processes, emission points and potential off-site sources, then determines the specific source and root cause.

Concentration analysis against odor thresholds
Facility- and process-specific fingerprint development
Fingerprinting based on a library of more than 500 odor causing compounds
Weather, GPS and process data combined for predictive root cause analysis
On-site versus off-site source differentiation and allocation

Regulatory and voluntary emissions programs

Onterris has air monitoring experts and field specialists that help you collect the data you need to make confident operational decisions, no matter your site design, budget or regulatory obligations.

Stack, source emissions and VOC testing support
Ground and aerial based leak detection
Sitewide emissions surveys
Real-time monitoring and periodic fenceline monitoring
Fixed sensor network programs
In-house laboratory analysis for reliable turnaround time

Control evaluation and optimization

Regulatory and community strategy

Mobile air monitoring vehicle used for environmental testing and field data collection.

Case Study

Smarter Odor Monitoring Delivers Healthier Air for Milpitas

Residents in Milpitas were reporting more than 1,200 odor complaints each year, but traditional investigations could not determine which of several nearby operations was responsible.

Onterris deployed its mobile laboratory, fingerprinted potential sources and analyzed community odor plumes to identify distinct contributors and help guide mitigation.

Read the Case Study

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How the Onterris odor investigation process works

Step 1: Fingerprint potential odor sources

Chemically analyze each process and emission point across the facility and screen results against a library of more than 500 compounds to create unique odor fingerprints.

Step 2: Combine chemistry with context

Layer complaints, GPS location, wind, weather, process and facility activity data to create a complete picture of the odor event.

Step 3: Attribute the root cause

We compare odor plumes against the fingerprints to identify the most likely contributor or help rule out the facility entirely. Our mobile lab can be deployed closer to the source to gather additional evidence.

Step 4: Turn findings into action

Armed with that data, we help you determine next steps, including operational changes, control systems, repairs, additional monitoring and community or regulatory communication.

Featured Resource

Download the Rapid Odor Response Guide

See how leading operations use real-time mobile laboratories to identify odor sources, investigate emission events and replace speculation with scientific evidence.

In the guide:

Why response time matters
Where traditional odor monitoring falls short
How the Onterris Rapid Response Framework works
Lessons from real odor investigations
The operational and reputational value of mobile monitoring

Download Your Copy

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