Proactive monitoring and detection of pollution sources

Understanding critical sources and parameters for optimal management of your processes and associated risks

Your wastewater and industrial water treatment sites are essential in safeguarding the environment by removing contaminants from effluents before they are released into nature. However, these facilities can also be sources of atmospheric pollution and other nuisances. Emissions of gases and particles from your processes can significantly affect local air quality and public health. Moreover, managing odor nuisances presents additional challenges that require advanced technological solutions to ensure the safety of your employees, protect surrounding communities, and maintain the integrity of your infrastructure.

Ellona’s advanced technologies offer real-time monitoring of envi

ronmental emissions, including odors and gases. This continuous surveillance enhances your ability to proactively detect and manage pollution sources, minimizing risks to employee safety and improving the quality of life for nearby communities.

Our extensive expertise in source identification, precise concentration measurement, dispersion plume analysis, and effective remediation strategy implementation is crucial for addressing these challenges while safeguarding your infrastructure. With Ellona, you gain a comprehensive solution for understanding and managing pollution sources at your facilities, ensuring a safe work environment, enhanced community protection, and the durability of your operations.

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A one-of-a-kind approach for your operations

Examples of KPIs for the wastewater treatment sector

Multiple emission sources we address

The integration of Ellona’s advanced technologies allows for real-time monitoring of environmental emissions, including odors and gases. This continuous surveillance enhances the ability to proactively detect and manage pollution sources. Beyond gases, odor-related issues present a significant challenge. Ellona’s in-depth expertise in identifying sources, accurately measuring concentrations, analyzing dispersion plumes, and implementing effective remediation strategies is essential for addressing these nuisances.

The main categories of atmospheric emissions associated with wastewater treatment facilities, both domestic and industrial, are:

  • Emissions from primary and secondary sedimentation tanks (also known as clarifiers or settling tanks): Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), greenhouse gases such as methane (CH₄).
  • Emissions from anaerobic digestion units: Significant sources of odors and biogas (CH₄, NH₃, CO₂, H₂S, SO₂) if the capture and combustion systems are deficient.
  • Emissions from biological filters: Odors, fine particulate matter in suspension.
  • Emissions from pumping stations: Odors and fine particulate matter.
  • Emissions from sludge treatment systems (incineration or composting): Fine particulate matter, heavy metals, gases (CO₂, CH₄, NOₓ, VOCs, NH₃, SO₂, H₂S)

Our intervention areas at your sites:

Ellona designs tailored products for the wastewater and industrial water sector.

Ellona provides advanced solutions for wastewater treatment, delivering real-time monitoring tailored to the complex needs of the sector, particularly for odors, gases, and particulate matter.

The WT1 Pro is engineered to monitor emissions in industrial environments, along site perimeters (fencelines), and at the source. It offers precise identification and quantification of odors in compliance with EN 13725 and ASTM 679 standards.

For indoor environments such as offices and reception areas, the POD2 ensures effective emission monitoring. The WT1 Lite is perfect for peripheral sites, providing a cost-effective solution for less demanding applications.

Our comprehensive suite of devices—including the WT1 Pro, WT1 Lite, POD2, and the EllonaSoft platform—ensures thorough and accurate monitoring of pollution sources in wastewater treatment plants, treatment facilities, and collection networks.

The key parameters we monitor in your sector

Our commitments
for wastewater and industrial water sectors

Continuous emission monitoring (gases, particles, odors):

  • Accurately quantify and alert on issues related to environmental emissions and odors, ensuring effective management.
  • Continuously monitor gas levels and odor concentrations at emission points for proactive and reactive oversight.

Advanced expertise in odor and environmental nuisance management:

  • Predict odor dispersion patterns and assist clients in implementing appropriate preventive measures.
  • Objectively identify odor-causing compounds in different areas, enabling unbiased and data-driven resolution of odor issues.

Comprehensive analytical capabilities:

  • Perform detailed analyses at site fencelines and emission sources to ensure complete coverage, including point sources and surface sources such as chimneys and basins.
  • Assess physico-chemical footprints for a thorough understanding of emission characteristics and sources.

The benefits
of our products for your operations

  • Enhanced employee health and safety:
    Continuous monitoring of gas emissions and odors ensures a healthier and safer working environment for your employees, thus reducing the risks associated with exposure to atmospheric pollutants.
  • Compliance with environmental regulations:
    Our solutions help you stay compliant with environmental standards and regulations, ensuring adherence to legal requirements and regulatory obligations.
  • Improvement in operational efficiency:
    Real-time monitoring of environmental emissions enables optimization of operational processes, identification of inefficiencies, and continuous improvements for more effective management of facilities.
  • Strengthening the exemplary image of your sites:
    By demonstrating your commitment to proactive monitoring and reduction of atmospheric emissions, you enhance your company’s image of social and environmental responsibility (CSR), thereby boosting its reputation and credibility.
  • Reduction of neighbor complaints:
    By anticipating and preventing odor-related issues, you minimize disturbances for local communities, thereby reducing neighbor complaints and improving relations with local stakeholders.
  • Health and environmental assurance:
    Our solutions offer continuous monitoring and proactive response to environmental events, ensuring the health and safety of your employees and surrounding communities, as well as the protection of the environment.

Regulatory standards for the wastewater and industrial treatment sector

European directives and national regulations

Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)

  • Objective: Prevention and reduction of air pollution from industrial facilities, including wastewater treatment plants.
  • Requirements: Use of Best Available Techniques (BAT) to limit emissions.
  • Standards and limits:
    Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Typical limit of 50 mg/m³.
    Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂): Limit of 50 to 200 mg/Nm³ (normal cubic meter).
    Nitrogen Oxides (NOₓ): Limit of 200 to 500 mg/Nm³.
    Fine Particles (PM10 and PM2.5): Limit of 10 to 50 mg/Nm³ depending on the industrial process.
    Greenhouse gases (GHG): Specifically for methane (CH₄), a limit of 3,000 ppmv (parts per million by volume) for large installations.

National regulations

  • Objective: Each country in the European Union (and beyond) has its own specific laws and regulations concerning atmospheric emissions from wastewater, stormwater, and industrial treatment facilities.
  • Examples :
    • France: The decree of February 2, 1998 establishes specific limits for atmospheric emissions from facilities classified for environmental protection (ICPE). Here are some of the main limits concerning gases and particles:
      Unspecified VOCs: 110 mg/Nm³.
      NOx (expressed as NO₂): 300 mg/Nm³ for boilers, 500 mg/Nm³ for other facilities.
      SO₂ : 500 mg/Nm³.
      Fine particles PM10: Specific limit under certain conditions.
      CO : 50 mg/Nm³.
    • Germany: TA Luft (Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control) regulation imposes strict limits on atmospheric pollutant emissions.
      Unspecified VOCs: 50 mg/Nm³
      NOx (expressed as NO₂): 200 mg/Nm³ for large combustion installations, 500 mg/Nm³ for smaller installations
      SO₂ : 400 mg/Nm³ for boilers, 200 mg/Nm³ for other facilities.
      Total dust: 20 mg/Nm³
      Fine particles PM10: Specific limit under certain conditions.
      CO : 50 mg/Nm³.

Monitoring and reporting requirements

  • Continuous monitoring: Operators must install continuous monitoring systems for emissions of VOCs, NOₓ, SO₂, particulates, and other pollutants.
  • Periodic reports: Facilities must submit compliance reports to the relevant authorities, including measurement results and performance evaluations against regulatory limits.

Management of odor nuisances

  • Specific standards for odors: Limits on permissible odor levels, often measured in European Odor Units (OUE).
    Threshold perception concentration: Typically 1 OUE/m³.
    Olfactory comfort limits: Often set between 3 to 5 OUE/m³ for residential areas.

Your questions, our solutions

How to accurately measure, identify, and locate noise indoors?

Indoor noise management is essential for safety and comfort. It’s not just about measuring sound levels but also accurately identifying the sources and nature of the noise to tailor remediation strategies.

Ellona’s POD2 devices play a key role in acoustic monitoring and indoor safety, whether in offices, hospitals, factories, schools, or commercial spaces.

  • Continuous measurement of sound levels to ensure a compliant environment
  • Identification of noise sources (machines, voices, barking, alarms, ventilation…)
  • Detailed analysis of the nature of the noises (impulsive, resonant, mechanical…)
  • Detection of critical noises (gunfire, security alarms, glass breakage, technical incidents…)
  • Targeted remediation to secure infrastructure and protect people

With EllonaSoft, data is centralized, analyzed, and utilized in real-time, enabling fast and efficient decision-making in the event of an incident.

En savoir plus

How to accurately measure, identify, and locate odors (odours) indoors?

The management of indoor odor (odour) nuisances is based on three essential aspects:

  • Real-time odor (odour) detection to identify any anomalies
  • Measurement of odor (odour) intensity to track their evolution and impact
  • Accurate identification of the nature of odors (odours) and their sources for quick and targeted remediation

Ellona’s  POD2  is an advanced solution that continuously analyzes indoor air through a combination of MOS sensors and smart algorithms. This enables the anticipation and effective management of odor (odour) nuisances in sensitive environments such as offices, hospitals, laboratories, industrial kitchens, or commercial spaces.

All collected data is centralized, analyzed, and utilized through the EllonaSoft platform. This powerful tool enables real-time monitoring, rapid identification of odor (odour) nature and sources, and optimization of remediation strategies, ensuring better control of odor (odour) nuisances and healthier indoor air.

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How to measure, identify, and locate fine particles, including PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, indoors?

Ellona’s POD2 enables real-time indoor measurement of fine particles (PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and down to PM0.3) using optical sensors. These sensors detect and count particles by measuring light scattering, providing precise air quality monitoring. In addition to measuring particle concentration, the POD2 leverages artificial intelligence algorithms to identify their nature and source, helping to better understand pollution origins and optimize remediation actions. Data is centralized and analyzed via EllonaSoft, ensuring optimized health risk management and real-time monitoring to protect occupants’ safety.

The POD2 specifically monitors fine particle levels in line with WHO recommendations:

  • PM2.5: ≤ 5 µg/m³ (annual average exposure)
  • PM10: ≤ 15 µg/m³ (annual average exposure)
  • PM1: Few official guidelines, but high concentrations can be concerning.

This capability of measurement, analysis, and identification enhances the understanding of indoor pollution challenges and enables the effective adaptation of air quality improvement strategies.

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How to measure, identify, and precisely locate gas emissions indoors?

Ellona’s POD2 ensures the safety of people and infrastructure by monitoring indoor air quality through real-time multivariate analysis. It measures up to 5 gases simultaneously (4 electrochemical sensors + 1 optical sensor) from a list of 21 possible gases (NO₂, SO₂, CO, O₃, NH₃, etc.). Its artificial intelligence algorithms accurately identify gas types, detect their interactions, and locate their sources. Through the EllonaSoft platform, smart alerts and automated corrective actions (ventilation, air purification) are implemented, ensuring a healthier environment, optimal occupant protection, and infrastructure preservation.

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How to measure, identify, and accurately locate outdoor noise?

Outdoor noise management relies on two key aspects: measuring sound levels to ensure compliance with regulations, and accurately identifying noise sources for targeted nuisance management. Ellona‘s WT1 Lite and WT1 Pro devices address these needs. These devices precisely monitor outdoor sound levels to ensure compliance with authorized thresholds, whether in urban or industrial environments. They provide continuous monitoring of sound intensities and allow for adjustments in control strategies based on changes in noise levels. The WT1 Pro goes further by offering a detailed analysis of sound signatures through artificial intelligence algorithms and databases. Additionally, with the EllonaSoft platform,the collected data is centralized, analyzed, and used to optimize noise nuisance management, helping to secure people, infrastructure, and the environment.

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How to measure, identify, and precisely locate gas emissions outdoors?

Thanks to real-time multivariate analysis, Ellona provides ultra-precise identification of the nature and sources of gas emissions. The WT1 Pro device integrates up to 6 electrochemical sensors and 2 optical sensors (or 1 optical and 1 PID), while the WT1 Lite can contain up to 4 electrochemical sensors and 1 optical sensor, with the option to choose from a list of 25 different gases.

The EllonaSoft platform processes this data every 10 seconds to identify, locate, and dynamically model emissions, integrating meteorological data and AI algorithms.

The result? Precise detection, intelligent alerts, and automated corrective actions—ideal for industrial sites, smart cities, ports, and airports.

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Is the analysis of NH3 and H2S molecules enough to qualify and quantify odors (odours)?

No, the analysis of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) and NH3 (ammonia) molecules is not sufficient to assess all odors (odours) present in an environment. Although these molecules are commonly analyzed using electrochemical sensors, they only represent a fraction of the odor (odour) compounds. Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are indeed important components of certain odor (odour) nuisances, but many other chemical compounds are responsible for varied and complex odors, such as aldehydes, volatile fatty acids, and mercaptans, which are not detected by these traditional technologies. This is precisely what the MOX (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensors used in Ellona devices, such as the WT1 Lite, the WT1 Pro (specifically designed for outdoor use), and the POD2 (adapted for indoor environments), are capable of detecting.

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How to measure, identify, and precisely locate odors (odours) outdoors?

Odors (odours) are measured, identified, and precisely located by deploying devices either at the source (technical facilities, industrial sites, etc.) or on the periphery of sites to monitor dispersion and assess the impact of olfactory nuisances.

Ellona’s devices, such as the  WT1 Pro  and  WT1 Lite ,do more than just measure odor (odour) levels. Thanks to a combination of MOS sensors and advanced data processing based on multivariate statistics and artificial intelligence, our sensors can accurately identify the nature and sources of olfactory nuisances. The WT1 Pro, designed for confined sources, is particularly well-suited for this task, while the WT1 Lite is dedicated to monitoring the periphery of sites, tracking odor (odour) dispersion in the environment.

Ellona also relies on several recognized methodologies to identify odor (odour) sources:

  • source observation,
  • clustering, the FISOL methodology,
  • and dynamic olfactometry (EN 13725), which is only possible with the WT1 Pro.

These approaches analyze nuisances based on their temporal recurrence, intensity, frequency, and duration. All collected data is integrated into atmospheric dispersion models that factor in meteorological conditions (wind direction and speed, temperature, humidity, etc.), allowing for a comprehensive analysis of odor (odour) propagation and the optimization of nuisance reduction strategies.

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