Odour management

We develop tailored odour management strategies and mitigation plans, including odour investigation and pilot-plant trials, to ensure effective control measures that meet regulatory and community requirements.

Our in-house, UKAS-accredited olfactometry services (BS EN 13725:2003) provide accurate odour measurements and monitoring, giving you robust data for decision-making, compliance, and regulatory reporting.

We assess odour offensiveness through hedonic-tone analysis and measure individual sensitivity via acuity testing, providing insight into community perception, potential complaints, and operational impact.

Our odour laboratory provides a full set of sensory odour analysis services. These include accredited testing of odour concentration using the European standard EN 13725, as well as assessment of odour strength and how pleasant or unpleasant it is, based on recognised international standards. The laboratory analysis can include description for different types of odours, determine odour thresholds for individual substances and mixtures, and certify the sensory sensitivity of trained human assessors and regulatory staff in line with EN 13725.

Odour assessment is an important part of planning and approving many industrial and agricultural sites. How people experience odour matters, and this depends on several factors, such as how strong it is, how often it occurs, and whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. These factors all affect how annoying an odour can be.

Ricardo is a specialist consultancy in environmental odour assessment. We use a range of proven scientific methods to assess odour sources and to measure and analyse odour levels. Ricardo for instance relies on dynamic olfactometry for testing stack samples, carried out in line with the European standard EN13725, this can be augmented using a range of supplementary tests to establish odour intensity, hedonic tone and pollutant composition.

Odour dispersion modelling is a way of predicting how smells from a site may spread and affect people nearby. It is often needed for planning applications, permit applications, or to investigate odour nuisance complaints. We have extensive experience in this area and have applied the UK’s odour impact standards to a wide range of sites and activities. We use recognised modelling tools such as ADMS, AERMOD, and CALPUFF, based on either our large emissions database or information collected directly from site odour surveys.

Our specialists are able to develop Odour Management Plans (OMP) in a clear, practical document for installations that may produce odour. Our plans explain how odours are identified, prevented, controlled, and reduced to protect nearby sensitive places such as homes and schools. Our plans help businesses meet environmental permit requirements and includes steps like process controls, monitoring, and a clear way to handle odour complaints.

Our experts have provided expert witness statements and reports to help inform the outcome the legal cases.

Our odour experts can tailor training packages to suit. 

Our specialists provide specialist odour training for the environmental sector, which covers odour monitoring techniques, odour impact assessments, and odour regulations. This training includes guidance on appropriate measures, Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Practicable Means (BPM) defence, as well as the assessment of odour abatement systems.

Our specialists provide acuity testing against the EN 13725 requirements. This is accompanied by a short training package covering the range of sniff testing approaches along with data management.

When performance matters in odour assessment and control, Ricardo’s specialist expertise puts you ahead. We can provide bespoke training courses go beyond expert instruction, providing personalised advice designed around your specific challenges. We deliver specialist training that makes a measurable difference. From group sessions to individual packages, our programmes are designed for professionals working across industrial and regulatory environments.

Using advanced odour modelling, we assess the potential impact of emissions on surrounding communities, supporting planning applications, regulatory compliance, and mitigation design. Our services integrate odour monitoring to provide accurate data for decision-making.

We carry out odour sampling, investigation, and performance testing from stacks and diffuse sources and evaluate the effectiveness of odour control equipment, ensuring your mitigation systems operate reliably.

Our experts provide guidance on regulatory compliance, odour management, community engagement, and complaint resolution, helping you maintain good stakeholder relationships, reduce legal risk, and demonstrate compliance with environmental standards.

Odour surveys involve quantifying the level of either by assessing odours around a site using trained sniff testers, or by measuring odours directly at their source using specialist equipment. We provide a full range of odour measurement and analysis services to UKAS accredited methods. We can also arrange for MCERTS-accredited methods required for permitted industrial and waste sites. This includes testing for odour, hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, and VOC.

Survey work can also include smoke testing and building leakage testing which may be needed to satisfy regulatory control obligations.

Odour assessment is an important part of planning and approving many industrial and agricultural sites. How people experience odour matters, and this depends on several factors, such as how strong it is, how often it occurs, and whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. These factors all affect how annoying an odour can be.

Ricardo is a specialist consultancy in environmental odour assessment. We use a range of proven scientific methods to assess odour sources and to measure and analyse odour levels. Ricardo for instance relies on dynamic olfactometry for testing stack samples, carried out in line with the European standard EN13725, this can be augmented using a range of supplementary tests to establish odour intensity, hedonic tone and pollutant composition.

Our specialists give independent, expert advice. We help you find the most effective way to deal with your odour problem, so you can control odour emissions and meet planning or regulatory obligations.

Odours can be controlled in several ways, such as reducing smells where they are produced, keeping sites clean and well managed, capturing and treating odorous air, or improving dispersion using chimneys or stacks.

As independent odour specialists, we have detailed knowledge of all available control methods, including odour treatment systems like carbon filters, chemical scrubbers, biological treatment, and incineration. We help our clients develop practical Odour Management Plans and carry out airflow and odour load surveys to design effective and reliable solutions.

Our odour experts have been responsible for developing guidance on dealing with odour from commercial kitchens, firstly through Defra and latterly through EMAQ. Based on our predominant position in this field we are able to support and advise on emission control schemes for planning and nuisance control.

Our specialists have a track record of supporting regulatory authorities in developing new/updates to, odour regulation and policies in the UK and middle east.

We provide acuity testing to help those who want to conduct sniff testing. These services are generally provided at our Harwell laboratory on selected dates throughout the year. For clients located further away from Oxfordshire we are able provide bespoke testing at suitable venues closer to our clients.