The olfactory of odourised biomethane: a novel approach

With the introduction of the injection of biomethane in the gas grid, it turned out that for a substantial amount of gas samples, the typical smell of the odourant could not be recognized, even when these were odourised at the right concentration level. The nature of the smell was occasionally masked due to the presence of odoriferous compounds such as mercaptans and terpenes. By assigning the deviation of the smell of the sample from that of the odourant, a practical method was established to classify the masking effect and to qualify the sample.