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many dimensions, odour is the indicator on which the majority of citizens rely (see e.g., Mukherjee 1993, OMOEE 1996). If you conducted a traditional search for odour control technologies and found yourself inquiring at the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy (OMOEE), you might be referred to the Ministry’s recent Science and Technology Branch Technical Bulletin: “Odour Impacts- An Overview” (OMOEE 1996).  This bulletin covers odourous compounds, odour impact modeling odour sampling, the characteristics of odours from ten common industrial processes, abatement technologies, community surveys, and process management controls. The bulletin’s list of “a few of the available” technologies for odour abatement, is of particular interest to Ecolo which formulates precise blends of essential oils to neutralize the complete range of industrial odours.                     1. Condensation                     2. Scrubbers                     3. Activated Carbon Adsorption                     4. Thermal and Catalytic Incineration                     5. Biofiltration                     6. Odour Modification/Masking                     7. Dilution Why is essential oil technology absent from the OMOEE Bulletin and from other recent lists (see e.g., Metro Works 1993 and 1996, NRC 1979)?  Ecolo has been using essential oils to neutralize odours for 20 years, and there are now many other firms in the plant based odour neutralization industry who also advertise, exhibit, and deliver effective odour control services to countless customers. Our best working hypothesis is that many environmental engineers and scientists think of odour neutralization using essentials oils in the same way that many North American physicians think of herbal remedies as “alternative medicine”.  That by comparison, the “conventional medicine” of thermal incineration and scrubbing seems to these engineers and scientists sophisticated, precise and predictable.  That there is more comfort to be taken in recommending what they think of as a “higher technology” that would not be directly accessible directly by their clients. But have you noticed that “alternative medicine” is becoming respectable among both consumers and the medical community often as “complementary medicine”? Among the factors responsible for this shift are the fiscal crisis in conventional health care and direct

dours from industrial operations are beginning to get the attention they deserve from environmental consultants, regulatory authorities,

enforcement officers, and elected officials at all levels.  In the USA, the Clean Air Act Amendments have targeted Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions for control and treatment owing to their reactivity as precursors to ozone.  These regulations have recently been applied to landfill sites and to industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants and accompanying solids processing units (see e.g., Williams, 1995). While concerns about air pollution encompass

Solid Waste Technologies       March/April  1998                                                              1 of 3 >>>

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