scholarly journals Particulate Matter Profiles along the Rack Railway Route Using Low-Cost Sensor

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Abdul Samad ◽  
Anas Maali ◽  
Bernd Laquai ◽  
Ulrich Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Distribution ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
Sensor Platform ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Mobile Measurements ◽  
Monitoring Platform

Air pollution due to Particulate Matter (PM) is an increasing concern of global extent. It has been the focus of many research projects worldwide and the latest low-cost technology is offering an ease and cheap way to monitor PM concentration. In this research, a low-cost PM monitoring platform was built with the objectives of evaluating its feasibility and its performance in mobile measurements, as well as characterizing the concentration profiles of PM along the measurement route. The rack railway in Stuttgart was utilized as means of transportation for this low-cost monitoring system with which the temporal and spatial distribution of the PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 concentration along the route was attained. The measurements were conducted for around two months from mid of January until mid of March 2019, during the operation hours of the rack railway. The results showed that the PM concentrations were dominated by fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM1) along the route of the rack railway. Higher PM concentrations were measured near the federal highway and high traffic area as compared to the residential area. An overestimation of PM concentration using low-cost sensor platform was observed during high relative humidity conditions as compared to the professional aerosol spectrometers.

scholarly journals Field evaluation of a low-cost indoor air quality monitor to quantify exposure to pollutants in residential environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 373-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Moreno-Rangel ◽  
Tim Sharpe ◽  
Filbert Musau ◽  
Gráinne McGill
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds

Abstract. Measurements of temporal and spatial changes to indoor contaminant concentrations are vital to understanding pollution characteristics. Whilst scientific instruments provide high temporal resolution of indoor pollutants, their cost and complexity make them unfeasible for large-scale projects. Low-cost monitors offer an opportunity to collect high-density temporal and spatial data in a broader range of households. This paper presents a user study to assess the precision, accuracy, and usability of a low-cost indoor air quality monitor in a residential environment to collect data about the indoor pollution. Temperature, relative humidity, total volatile organic compounds (tVOC), carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) data were measured with five low-cost (“Foobot”) monitors and were compared with data from other monitors reported to be scientifically validated. The study found a significant agreement between the instruments with regard to temperature, relative humidity, total volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter data. Foobot CO2 equivalent was found to provide misleading CO2 levels as indicators of ventilation. Calibration equations were derived for tVOC, CO2, and PM2.5 to improve sensors' accuracy. The data were analysed based on the percentage of time pollutant levels that exceeded WHO thresholds. The performance of low-cost monitors to measure total volatile organic compounds and particulate matter 2.5 µm has not been properly addressed. The findings suggest that Foobot is sufficiently accurate for identifying high pollutant exposures with potential health risks and for providing data at high granularity and good potential for user or scientific applications due to remote data retrieval. It may also be well suited to remote and larger-scale studies in quantifying exposure to pollutants.

scholarly journals A low-cost monitor for simultaneous measurement of fine particulate matter and aerosol optical depth – Part 1: Specifications and testing

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 5431-5441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Wendt ◽  
Casey W. Quinn ◽  
Daniel D. Miller-Lionberg ◽  
Jessica Tryner ◽  
Christian L'Orange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Equivalent Method

Abstract. Globally, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is a leading contributor to death, disease, and environmental degradation. Satellite-based measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) are used to estimate PM2.5 concentrations across the world, but the relationship between satellite-estimated AOD and ground-level PM2.5 is uncertain. Sun photometers measure AOD from the Earth's surface and are often used to improve satellite data; however, reference-grade photometers and PM2.5 monitors are expensive and rarely co-located. This work presents the development and validation of the aerosol mass and optical depth (AMOD) sampler, an inexpensive and compact device that simultaneously measures PM2.5 mass and AOD. The AMOD utilizes a low-cost light-scattering sensor in combination with a gravimetric filter measurement to quantify ground-level PM2.5. Aerosol optical depth is measured using optically filtered photodiodes at four discrete wavelengths. Field validation studies revealed agreement within 10 % for AOD values measured between co-located AMOD and AErosol RObotics NETwork (AERONET) monitors and for PM2.5 mass measured between co-located AMOD and EPA Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) monitors. These results demonstrate that the AMOD can quantify AOD and PM2.5 accurately at a fraction of the cost of existing reference monitors.

scholarly journals Using Low-Cost Sensors to Assess Fine Particulate Matter Infiltration (PM2.5) during a Wildfire Smoke Episode at a Large Inpatient Healthcare Facility

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9811
Author(s):  
Phuong D. M. Nguyen ◽  
Nika Martinussen ◽  
Gary Mallach ◽  
Ghazal Ebrahimi ◽  
Kori Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Dew Point ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Wildfire Smoke ◽  
Fine Particulate

Wildfire smoke exposure is associated with a range of acute health outcomes, which can be more severe in individuals with underlying health conditions. Currently, there is limited information on the susceptibility of healthcare facilities to smoke infiltration. As part of a larger study to address this gap, a rehabilitation facility in Vancouver, Canada was outfitted with one outdoor and seven indoor low-cost fine particulate matter (PM2.5) sensors in Air Quality Eggs (EGG) during the summer of 2020. Raw measurements were calibrated using temperature, relative humidity, and dew point derived from the EGG data. The infiltration coefficient was quantified using a distributed lag model. Indoor concentrations during the smoke episode were elevated throughout the building, though non-uniformly. After censoring indoor-only peaks, the average infiltration coefficient (range) during typical days was 0.32 (0.22–0.39), compared with 0.37 (0.31–0.47) during the smoke episode, a 19% increase on average. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations quickly reflected outdoor conditions during and after the smoke episode. It is unclear whether these results will be generalizable to other years due to COVID-related changes to building operations, but some of the safety protocols may offer valuable lessons for future wildfire seasons. For example, points of building entry and exit were reduced from eight to two during the pandemic, which likely helped to protect the building from wildfire smoke infiltration. Overall, these results demonstrate the utility of indoor low-cost sensors in understanding the impacts of extreme smoke events on facilities where highly susceptible individuals are present. Furthermore, they highlight the need to employ interventions that enhance indoor air quality in such facilities during smoke events.

scholarly journals A low-cost monitor for measurement of fine particulate matter and aerosol optical depth. Part 1: Specifications and testing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Wendt ◽  
Casey W. Quinn ◽  
Daniel D. Miller-Lionberg ◽  
Jessica Tryner ◽  
Christian L'Orange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Equivalent Method

Abstract. Globally, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is a leading contributor to death, disease, and environmental degradation. Satellite-based measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) are used to estimate PM2.5 concentrations across the world, but the relationship between satellite-estimated AOD and ground-level PM2.5 is uncertain. Sun photometers measure AOD from the Earth's surface and are often used to improve satellite data; however, reference-grade photometers and PM2.5 monitors are expensive and rarely co-located. This work presents the development and validation of the Aerosol Mass and Optical Depth (AMOD) sampler, an inexpensive and compact device that simultaneously measures PM2.5 mass and AOD and was designed specifically to be used in citizen science campaigns. The AMOD utilizes a low-cost light-scattering sensor in combination with a gravimetric filter measurement to quantify ground-level PM2.5. Aerosol optical depth is measured using optically filtered photodiodes at four discrete wavelengths. Field validation studies revealed agreement within 10 % for AOD values measured between co-located AMOD and AErosol RObotics NETwork (AERONET) monitors and for PM2.5 mass measured between co-located AMOD and EPA Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) monitors. These results demonstrate that the AMOD can quantify AOD and PM2.5 accurately at a fraction of the cost of existing reference monitors.

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