2022-10-008 - SNIFFDRONE - Drone for measuring the concentration of odour

SNIFFDRONE

2022-10-008

Novel solution to obtain a proportional (fair) allocation of resources among DASH clients in dense wireless networks

Drone for measuring the concentration of odour in real operation conditions. Allows collecting measurements in hardly accessible locations

SNIFFDRONE will represent a significant leap forward in several aspects: (i) up to now, odour robots have been tested towards single odorant chemical sources in relatively simple scenarios, (ii) most research in odour robots has been based in terrestrial robots, (iii) novel understanding of bioinspired flying strategies based on insect navigation will be implemented and tested in real, large scale complex scenarios.

Air pollution is a raising global concern due to its long-term environmental and health impacts. The main sources for air pollution are related to a range of human activities, such as waste treatments, agriculture, traffic and industrial processing. In particular, the gas emissions of was WWTP occasionally generate episodes of unpleasant odours that are often related to toxic gases (e.g. H2S, NH3) that may affect the health of plan operators and the welfare of neighbouring populations. Current techniques for sampling and measuring odours are based either on fixed localised sensors (electronic nose) or on the collection of air samples for subsequent laboratory analysis. E-noses readings are highly dependent on the meteorological conditions of the place of interest (e.g., wind direction and speed) which results in frequent incorrect readings. So, innovative solutions are required to overcome limitations of odour sensing.

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Technology to be included in the portfolio of companies specialized in odour monitoring that offer their services to other companies, for instance those managing WWTPs. The services would include: travel to measurement site, use of drone sensing system, deployment of an operator, data collection and analysis, periodic maintenance and calibration services offered to the final clients. Potential payment schemes: annual flat rate for all-included services vs. closed price for individual service.

The technology lies at the intersection of three large and fast-growing markets: e-noses, commercial drones, and odour control system markets. In 2020 their global market values ranged from US$ 17.8 million (electronic-noses) to US$ 2.72 billion in 2020 (drones) at a CAGR of 12.44% and 23.7%, respectively.

Odour monitoring: wastewater treatment plants. Additional target markets: - composting plants - landfills - food & agriculture - monitoring natural disasters (fires, ...) - detection of explosives

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Industrial partners in the fields of odour monitoring and/or e-noses for technical co-development or direct licensing.

- Optimization of calibration protocols of the gas sensors - Improvement of the ML alghorithms to elaborate the sensors signals - Prototype industrialization and scale-up - Validation in other industrial settings

We have developed a drone for measuring the concentration of odour in real operation conditions and in hardly accessible locations. The drone includes a sampler and a measurement chamber with a set of sensors (e-nose) configured to measure multiple parameters from air samples (concentration of gas phase chemical compounds, temperature, humidity, and pressure) and a GPS localization system that allows a precise 3D mapping of the odour signals.We have also developed machine learning (ML) algorithms that predict the odour concentration from the sensor signals, showing excellent performance compared to standard dynamic olfactometry measurements. Interestingly, the features combination of the drone allows collecting measurements with no perturbation by the propulsion means of the drone.

-Lack of regulation in odour monitoring. - Willingness to pay and to adopt our new tool by customers. - Highly fragmented market, especially for water and wastewater sensors. - Technology based on non-proprietary drones. - Technology relatively easy to copy by.

In 2023 several field validation in multiple WWTPs were performed to confirm the robustness of our technology. Business Development activities are being performed to search for new industrial partners interested in co-developing or licensing our system for WWTPs or other applications. Customization and adaptation of the system to the specific application required will bring to added value for our system demonstrating its versatility and high business potential.

Our system was protected by a patent application (priority year: 2021), currently in national phases (Europe, US), pending to be granted.

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Know-how of Prof. Marco's group at IBEC in the field of odour monitoring, sensor calibration and data analysis, which are at the basis for the correct functioning of our drone odour technology.

Our drone-based odour monitoring system’s Quality Management prioritizes precision and reliability at each stage of development. We implement strict quality standards to ensure sensor accuracy, consistent measurement, and seamless integration of machine learning algorithms for predictive odour concentration. Validation campaigns conducted at multiple Wastewater Treatment Plants during pre-industrialization verify system performance in real-world settings. Calibration of sensors presents a key challenge, and quality protocols addressing this are essential for successful market implementation. Ensuring reliability under varying field conditions is also critical to guarantee consistent operational performance.

Patents: PCT/ES2022/070265 - Date: Apr 29th, 2022 Status: Filed

The use of odour control systems covers several application fields, from atmospheric contamination to food &agriculture and detection of explosives, up to natural disasters and healthcare. Atmospheric contamination due to air pollution is a raising global concern due to its long-term environmental and health impacts. Indeed, gas emissions due to human activities are the main cause for global warming whereas a number of diseases including cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory disease are strongly correlated to the presence of PM2.5, PM10, black carbon, NO and NO2, O3 in the air.