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Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2017) | Viewed by 156919

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paul A. Solomon

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Guest Editor
National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Interests: particulate matter; methods development; measurement of air pollutants; air pollution sensors; chemical characterization; exposure science; chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Melissa Lunden

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Guest Editor
Aclima, Inc., 10 Lombard Street Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
Interests: air pollution physics and chemistry; aerosol science; exposure science; air pollution mapping; air quality sensors; sensor networks; methods development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last five years, the emergence of small-scale air quality sensors has led to a significant paradigm shift in the approach to measuring air quality beyond those afforded by traditional methods that use large, stationary, and expensive analyzers.  These sensors are, not only small, but also can be portable, providing data in near-real time at relatively low costs and using low amounts of power. As a result, sensors allow air quality to be measured with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution, transforming the way we understand our environment.  Sensor-based measurement devices are being used by scientists looking to better characterize air quality and its environmental and health impacts, as well as the emergence of Citizen Science, empowering individuals to communities to reduce their risk from air pollution.  Key factors enabling this widespread use include progress in miniaturized electronics and microfabrication, allowing for easy and inexpensive mass production. Sensors are currently available or being developed to measure ambient concentrations of air pollutants found in air, e.g., NO, NO2, O3, CO2, CO, CH4, VOC, organic species, as well as particulate matter (PM) mass in one or more size ranges and components of PM, e.g., black carbon.  However, many of the commercially available sensors have not been thoroughly evaluated and, currently, a significant fraction perform poorly relative to reference methods.

The aim of this Special issue is to 1) describe the current status of air pollution sensors and their applications, thus review articles are encouraged; 2) to describe newly developed sensors or those still under development, providing information about the sensor itself and how its performance has been evaluated; 3) sensor evaluation studies of one or more commercial or nearly commercial sensors; and 4) the application of sensors and data analysis approaches, especially where sensors have been deployed in multiple indoor and or outdoor settings, or multiple sensors have been used as a network over significant periods of time.

Dr. Paul A. Solomon
Dr. Melissa Lunden
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sensors for gas and particulate phase air pollutants
  • Ozone
  • Nitrogen oxide
  • Nitrogen dioxide
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Carbon dioxide
  • Methane
  • Volatile organic compounds (total VOC)
  • Benzene, tolulene, formaldehyde, other organic species
  • Black carbon
  • Evaluation studies
  • Deployments and data analysis.
  • Calibration strategies
  • Network design or deployment

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Published Papers (18 papers)

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18 pages, 5257 KiB  
Article
A New Black Carbon Sensor for Dense Air Quality Monitoring Networks
by Julien J. Caubel, Troy E. Cados and Thomas W. Kirchstetter
Sensors 2018, 18(3), 738; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18030738 - 01 Mar 2018
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 13430
Abstract
Low-cost air pollution sensors are emerging and increasingly being deployed in densely distributed wireless networks that provide more spatial resolution than is typical in traditional monitoring of ambient air quality. However, a low-cost option to measure black carbon (BC)—a major component of particulate [...] Read more.
Low-cost air pollution sensors are emerging and increasingly being deployed in densely distributed wireless networks that provide more spatial resolution than is typical in traditional monitoring of ambient air quality. However, a low-cost option to measure black carbon (BC)—a major component of particulate matter pollution associated with adverse human health risks—is missing. This paper presents a new BC sensor designed to fill this gap, the Aerosol Black Carbon Detector (ABCD), which incorporates a compact weatherproof enclosure, solar-powered rechargeable battery, and cellular communication to enable long-term, remote operation. This paper also demonstrates a data processing methodology that reduces the ABCD’s sensitivity to ambient temperature fluctuations, and therefore improves measurement performance in unconditioned operating environments (e.g., outdoors). A fleet of over 100 ABCDs was operated outdoors in collocation with a commercial BC instrument (Magee Scientific, Model AE33) housed inside a regulatory air quality monitoring station. The measurement performance of the 105 ABCDs is comparable to the AE33. The fleet-average precision and accuracy, expressed in terms of mean absolute percentage error, are 9.2 ± 0.8% (relative to the fleet average data) and 24.6 ± 0.9% (relative to the AE33 data), respectively (fleet-average ± 90% confidence interval). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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7 pages, 2200 KiB  
Article
Atmospheric Sensors and Energy Harvesters on Overhead Power Lines
by Richard M. White, Duy-Son Nguyen, Zhiwei Wu and Paul K. Wright
Sensors 2018, 18(1), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18010114 - 03 Jan 2018
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6165
Abstract
We demonstrate the feasibility of using novel, small energy harvesters to power atmospheric sensors and radios simply attached to a single conductor of existing overhead power distribution lines. We demonstrate the ability to harvest the required power for operating multiple atmospheric and power-system [...] Read more.
We demonstrate the feasibility of using novel, small energy harvesters to power atmospheric sensors and radios simply attached to a single conductor of existing overhead power distribution lines. We demonstrate the ability to harvest the required power for operating multiple atmospheric and power-system sensors, together with short-range radios that could broadcast atmospheric sensor data to the cellphones of people nearby. Occasional long-range broadcasts of the data could also be made of both atmospheric and power-line conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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19030 KiB  
Article
A Modular Plug-And-Play Sensor System for Urban Air Pollution Monitoring: Design, Implementation and Evaluation
by Wei-Ying Yi, Kwong-Sak Leung and Yee Leung
Sensors 2018, 18(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18010007 - 22 Dec 2017
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 8486
Abstract
Urban air pollution has caused public concern globally because it seriously affects human life. Modern monitoring systems providing pollution information with high spatio-temporal resolution have been developed to identify personal exposures. However, these systems’ hardware specifications and configurations are usually fixed according to [...] Read more.
Urban air pollution has caused public concern globally because it seriously affects human life. Modern monitoring systems providing pollution information with high spatio-temporal resolution have been developed to identify personal exposures. However, these systems’ hardware specifications and configurations are usually fixed according to the applications. They can be inconvenient to maintain, and difficult to reconfigure and expand with respect to sensing capabilities. This paper aims at tackling these issues by adopting the proposed Modular Sensor System (MSS) architecture and Universal Sensor Interface (USI), and modular design in a sensor node. A compact MSS sensor node is implemented and evaluated. It has expandable sensor modules with plug-and-play feature and supports multiple Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Evaluation results show that MSS sensor nodes can easily fit in different scenarios, adapt to reconfigurations dynamically, and detect low concentration air pollution with high energy efficiency and good data accuracy. We anticipate that the efforts on system maintenance, adaptation, and evolution can be significantly reduced when deploying the system in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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2031 KiB  
Article
A New Low-Temperature Electrochemical Hydrocarbon and NOx Sensor
by Praveen Kumar Sekhar, Zachary Moore, Shyam Aravamudhan and Ajit Khosla
Sensors 2017, 17(12), 2759; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17122759 - 29 Nov 2017
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5371
Abstract
In this article, a new investigation on a low-temperature electrochemical hydrocarbon and NOx sensor is presented. Based on the mixed-potential-based sensing scheme, the sensor is constructed using platinum and metal oxide electrodes, along with an Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ)/Strontium Titanate (SrTiO3) [...] Read more.
In this article, a new investigation on a low-temperature electrochemical hydrocarbon and NOx sensor is presented. Based on the mixed-potential-based sensing scheme, the sensor is constructed using platinum and metal oxide electrodes, along with an Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ)/Strontium Titanate (SrTiO3) thin-film electrolyte. Unlike traditional mixed-potential sensors which operate at higher temperatures (>400 °C), this potentiometric sensor operates at 200 °C with dominant hydrocarbon (HC) and NOx response in the open-circuit and biased modes, respectively. The possible low-temperature operation of the sensor is speculated to be primarily due to the enhanced oxygen ion conductivity of the electrolyte, which may be attributed to the space charge effect, epitaxial strain, and atomic reconstruction at the interface of the YSZ/STO thin film. The response and recovery time for the NOx sensor are found to be 7 s and 8 s, respectively. The sensor exhibited stable response even after 120 days of testing, with an 11.4% decrease in HC response and a 3.3% decrease in NOx response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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4682 KiB  
Article
Indoor Air Quality Analysis Using Deep Learning with Sensor Data
by Jaehyun Ahn, Dongil Shin, Kyuho Kim and Jihoon Yang
Sensors 2017, 17(11), 2476; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17112476 - 28 Oct 2017
Cited by 79 | Viewed by 13853
Abstract
Indoor air quality analysis is of interest to understand the abnormal atmospheric phenomena and external factors that affect air quality. By recording and analyzing quality measurements, we are able to observe patterns in the measurements and predict the air quality of near future. [...] Read more.
Indoor air quality analysis is of interest to understand the abnormal atmospheric phenomena and external factors that affect air quality. By recording and analyzing quality measurements, we are able to observe patterns in the measurements and predict the air quality of near future. We designed a microchip made out of sensors that is capable of periodically recording measurements, and proposed a model that estimates atmospheric changes using deep learning. In addition, we developed an efficient algorithm to determine the optimal observation period for accurate air quality prediction. Experimental results with real-world data demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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637 KiB  
Article
Wireless Distributed Environmental Sensor Networks for Air Pollution Measurement—The Promise and the Current Reality
by David M. Broday and The Citi-Sense Project Collaborators
Sensors 2017, 17(10), 2263; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17102263 - 02 Oct 2017
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 7059
Abstract
The evaluation of the effects of air pollution on public health and human-wellbeing requires reliable data. Standard air quality monitoring stations provide accurate measurements of airborne pollutant levels, but, due to their sparse distribution, they cannot capture accurately the spatial variability of air [...] Read more.
The evaluation of the effects of air pollution on public health and human-wellbeing requires reliable data. Standard air quality monitoring stations provide accurate measurements of airborne pollutant levels, but, due to their sparse distribution, they cannot capture accurately the spatial variability of air pollutant concentrations within cities. Dedicated in-depth field campaigns have dense spatial coverage of the measurements but are held for relatively short time periods. Hence, their representativeness is limited. Moreover, the oftentimes integrated measurements represent time-averaged records. Recent advances in communication and sensor technologies enable the deployment of dense grids of Wireless Distributed Environmental Sensor Networks for air quality monitoring, yet their capability to capture urban-scale spatiotemporal pollutant patterns has not been thoroughly examined to date. Here, we summarize our studies on the practicalities of using data streams from sensor nodes for air quality measurement and the required methods to tune the results to different stakeholders and applications. We summarize the results from eight cities across Europe, five sensor technologies-three stationary (with one tested also while moving) and two personal sensor platforms, and eight ambient pollutants. Overall, few sensors showed an exceptional and consistent performance, which can shed light on the fine spatiotemporal urban variability of pollutant concentrations. Stationary sensor nodes were more reliable than personal nodes. In general, the sensor measurements tend to suffer from the interference of various environmental factors and require frequent calibrations. This calls for the development of suitable field calibration procedures, and several such in situ field calibrations are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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3061 KiB  
Communication
An Optical-Fiber-Based Airborne Particle Sensor
by Yifan Wang and John F. Muth
Sensors 2017, 17(9), 2110; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17092110 - 14 Sep 2017
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6996
Abstract
A new optical-fiber-based airborne particle counter is reported. Unlike traditional light-scatter-based techniques, the particle is detected through the drop in optical fiber coupling efficiency as the particle disrupts the electromagnetic mode of the optical beam. The system is simple, substantially smaller than traditional [...] Read more.
A new optical-fiber-based airborne particle counter is reported. Unlike traditional light-scatter-based techniques, the particle is detected through the drop in optical fiber coupling efficiency as the particle disrupts the electromagnetic mode of the optical beam. The system is simple, substantially smaller than traditional systems, and does not require high power laser input. This makes it attractive for wearable air quality monitors where size is a premium. There is close agreement between theoretical model and experimental results for solid and liquid particles in the 1 to 10 µm range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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3122 KiB  
Article
CleAir Monitoring System for Particulate Matter: A Case in the Napoleonic Museum in Rome
by Eugenio Fazio, Valerio Bonacquisti, Marta Di Michele, Francesca Frasca, Angelo Chianese and Anna Maria Siani
Sensors 2017, 17(9), 2076; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17092076 - 11 Sep 2017
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4700
Abstract
Monitoring the air particulate concentration both outdoors and indoors is becoming a more relevant issue in the past few decades. An innovative, fully automatic, monitoring system called CleAir is presented. Such a system wants to go beyond the traditional technique (gravimetric analysis), allowing [...] Read more.
Monitoring the air particulate concentration both outdoors and indoors is becoming a more relevant issue in the past few decades. An innovative, fully automatic, monitoring system called CleAir is presented. Such a system wants to go beyond the traditional technique (gravimetric analysis), allowing for a double monitoring approach: the traditional gravimetric analysis as well as the optical spectroscopic analysis of the scattering on the same filters in steady-state conditions. The experimental data are interpreted in terms of light percolation through highly scattering matter by means of the stretched exponential evolution. CleAir has been applied to investigate the daily distribution of particulate matter within the Napoleonic Museum in Rome as a test case. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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2385 KiB  
Article
Quantifying Neighborhood-Scale Spatial Variations of Ozone at Open Space and Urban Sites in Boulder, Colorado Using Low-Cost Sensor Technology
by Lucy Cheadle, Lauren Deanes, Kira Sadighi, Joanna Gordon Casey, Ashley Collier-Oxandale and Michael Hannigan
Sensors 2017, 17(9), 2072; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17092072 - 10 Sep 2017
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5616
Abstract
Recent advances in air pollution sensors have led to a new wave of low-cost measurement systems that can be deployed in dense networks to capture small-scale spatio-temporal variations in ozone, a pollutant known to cause negative human health impacts. This study deployed a [...] Read more.
Recent advances in air pollution sensors have led to a new wave of low-cost measurement systems that can be deployed in dense networks to capture small-scale spatio-temporal variations in ozone, a pollutant known to cause negative human health impacts. This study deployed a network of seven low-cost ozone metal oxide sensor systems (UPods) in both an open space and an urban location in Boulder, Colorado during June and July of 2015, to quantify ozone variations on spatial scales ranging from 12 m between UPods to 6.7 km between open space and urban measurement sites with a measurement uncertainty of ~5 ppb. The results showed spatial variability of ozone at both deployment sites, with the largest differences between UPod measurements occurring during the afternoons. The peak median hourly difference between UPods was 6 ppb at 1:00 p.m. at the open space site, and 11 ppb at 4:00 p.m. at the urban site. Overall, the urban ozone measurements were higher than in the open space measurements. This study evaluates the effectiveness of using low-cost sensors to capture microscale spatial and temporal variation of ozone; additionally, it highlights the importance of field calibrations and measurement uncertainty quantification when deploying low-cost sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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22971 KiB  
Article
Tapered Optical Fiber Functionalized with Palladium Nanoparticles by Drop Casting and Laser Radiation for H2 and Volatile Organic Compounds Sensing Purposes
by Nancy Elizabeth González-Sierra, Luz Del Carmen Gómez-Pavón, Gerardo Francisco Pérez-Sánchez, Arnulfo Luis-Ramos, Plácido Zaca-Morán, Jesús Manuel Muñoz-Pacheco and Fernando Chávez-Ramírez
Sensors 2017, 17(9), 2039; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17092039 - 06 Sep 2017
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5849
Abstract
A comparative study on the sensing properties of a tapered optical fiber pristine and functionalized with the palladium nanoparticles to hydrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is presented. The sensor response and, response/recovery times were extracted from the measurements of the transient response [...] Read more.
A comparative study on the sensing properties of a tapered optical fiber pristine and functionalized with the palladium nanoparticles to hydrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is presented. The sensor response and, response/recovery times were extracted from the measurements of the transient response of the device. The tapered optical fiber sensor was fabricated using a single-mode optical fiber by the flame-brushing technique. Functionalization of the optical fiber was performed using an aqueous solution of palladium chloride by drop-casting technique assisted for laser radiation. The detection principle of the sensor is based on the changes in the optical properties of palladium nanoparticles when exposed to reducing gases, which causes a variation in the absorption of evanescent waves. A continuous wave laser diode operating at 1550 nm is used for the sensor characterization. The sensor functionalized with palladium nanoparticles by this technique is viable for the sensing of hydrogen and VOCs, since it shows an enhancement in sensor response and response time compared to the sensor based on the pristine optical microfiber. The results show that the fabricated sensor is competitive with other fiber optic sensors functionalized with palladium nanoparticles to the hydrogen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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9561 KiB  
Article
Estimating Hourly Concentrations of PM2.5 across a Metropolitan Area Using Low-Cost Particle Monitors
by Nadezda Zikova, Mauro Masiol, David C. Chalupa, David Q. Rich, Andrea R. Ferro and Philip K. Hopke
Sensors 2017, 17(8), 1922; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081922 - 21 Aug 2017
Cited by 77 | Viewed by 8836
Abstract
There is concern regarding the heterogeneity of exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) across urban areas leading to negatively biased health effects models. New, low-cost sensors now permit continuous and simultaneous measurements to be made in multiple locations. Measurements of ambient PM were [...] Read more.
There is concern regarding the heterogeneity of exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) across urban areas leading to negatively biased health effects models. New, low-cost sensors now permit continuous and simultaneous measurements to be made in multiple locations. Measurements of ambient PM were made from October to April 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 to assess the spatial and temporal variability in PM and the relative importance of traffic and wood smoke to outdoor PM concentrations in Rochester, NY, USA. In general, there was moderate spatial inhomogeneity, as indicated by multiple pairwise measures including coefficient of divergence and signed rank tests of the value distributions. Pearson correlation coefficients were often moderate (~50% of units showed correlations >0.5 during the first season), indicating that there was some coherent variation across the area, likely driven by a combination of meteorological conditions (wind speed, direction, and mixed layer heights) and the concentration of PM2.5 being transported into the region. Although the accuracy of these PM sensors is limited, they are sufficiently precise relative to one another and to research grade instruments that they can be useful is assessing the spatial and temporal variations across an area and provide concentration estimates based on higher-quality central site monitoring data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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3609 KiB  
Article
Development and Evaluation of A Novel and Cost-Effective Approach for Low-Cost NO2 Sensor Drift Correction
by Li Sun, Dane Westerdahl and Zhi Ning
Sensors 2017, 17(8), 1916; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081916 - 19 Aug 2017
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8140
Abstract
Emerging low-cost gas sensor technologies have received increasing attention in recent years for air quality measurements due to their small size and convenient deployment. However, in the diverse applications these sensors face many technological challenges, including sensor drift over long-term deployment that cannot [...] Read more.
Emerging low-cost gas sensor technologies have received increasing attention in recent years for air quality measurements due to their small size and convenient deployment. However, in the diverse applications these sensors face many technological challenges, including sensor drift over long-term deployment that cannot be easily addressed using mathematical correction algorithms or machine learning methods. This study aims to develop a novel approach to auto-correct the drift of commonly used electrochemical nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sensor with comprehensive evaluation of its application. The impact of environmental factors on the NO2 electrochemical sensor in low-ppb concentration level measurement was evaluated in laboratory and the temperature and relative humidity correction algorithm was evaluated. An automated zeroing protocol was developed and assessed using a chemical absorbent to remove NO2 as a means to perform zero correction in varying ambient conditions. The sensor system was operated in three different environments in which data were compared to a reference NO2 analyzer. The results showed that the zero-calibration protocol effectively corrected the observed drift of the sensor output. This technique offers the ability to enhance the performance of low-cost sensor based systems and these findings suggest extension of the approach to improve data quality from sensors measuring other gaseous pollutants in urban air. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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2167 KiB  
Article
Small, Smart, Fast, and Cheap: Microchip-Based Sensors to Estimate Air Pollution Exposures in Rural Households
by Ajay Pillarisetti, Tracy Allen, Ilse Ruiz-Mercado, Rufus Edwards, Zohir Chowdhury, Charity Garland, L. Drew Hill, Michael Johnson, Charles D. Litton, Nicholas L. Lam, David Pennise and Kirk R. Smith
Sensors 2017, 17(8), 1879; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081879 - 16 Aug 2017
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 9436
Abstract
Over the last 20 years, the Kirk R. Smith research group at the University of California Berkeley—in collaboration with Electronically Monitored Ecosystems, Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, and other academic institutions—has developed a suite of relatively inexpensive, rugged, battery-operated, microchip-based devices to quantify parameters [...] Read more.
Over the last 20 years, the Kirk R. Smith research group at the University of California Berkeley—in collaboration with Electronically Monitored Ecosystems, Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, and other academic institutions—has developed a suite of relatively inexpensive, rugged, battery-operated, microchip-based devices to quantify parameters related to household air pollution. These devices include two generations of particle monitors; data-logging temperature sensors to assess time of use of household energy devices; a time-activity monitoring system using ultrasound; and a CO2-based tracer-decay system to assess ventilation rates. Development of each system involved numerous iterations of custom hardware, software, and data processing and visualization routines along with both lab and field validation. The devices have been used in hundreds of studies globally and have greatly enhanced our understanding of heterogeneous household air pollution (HAP) concentrations and exposures and factors influencing them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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4490 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Utility of Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors over a 12-Week Period in the Cuyama Valley of California
by Anondo Mukherjee, Levi G. Stanton, Ashley R. Graham and Paul T. Roberts
Sensors 2017, 17(8), 1805; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081805 - 05 Aug 2017
Cited by 113 | Viewed by 9853
Abstract
The use of low-cost air quality sensors has proliferated among non-profits and citizen scientists, due to their portability, affordability, and ease of use. Researchers are examining the sensors for their potential use in a wide range of applications, including the examination of the [...] Read more.
The use of low-cost air quality sensors has proliferated among non-profits and citizen scientists, due to their portability, affordability, and ease of use. Researchers are examining the sensors for their potential use in a wide range of applications, including the examination of the spatial and temporal variability of particulate matter (PM). However, few studies have quantified the performance (e.g., accuracy, precision, and reliability) of the sensors under real-world conditions. This study examined the performance of two models of PM sensors, the AirBeam and the Alphasense Optical Particle Counter (OPC-N2), over a 12-week period in the Cuyama Valley of California, where PM concentrations are impacted by wind-blown dust events and regional transport. The sensor measurements were compared with observations from two well-characterized instruments: the GRIMM 11-R optical particle counter, and the Met One beta attenuation monitor (BAM). Both sensor models demonstrated a high degree of collocated precision (R2 = 0.8–0.99), and a moderate degree of correlation against the reference instruments (R2 = 0.6–0.76). Sensor measurements were influenced by the meteorological environment and the aerosol size distribution. Quantifying the performance of sensors in real-world conditions is a requisite step to ensuring that sensors will be used in ways commensurate with their data quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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5443 KiB  
Article
Fine Particle Sensor Based on Multi-Angle Light Scattering and Data Fusion
by Wenjia Shao, Hongjian Zhang and Hongliang Zhou
Sensors 2017, 17(5), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17051033 - 04 May 2017
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 8157
Abstract
Meteorological parameters such as relative humidity have a significant impact on the precision of PM2.5 measurement instruments based on light scattering. Instead of adding meteorological sensors or dehumidification devices used widely in commercial PM2.5 measurement instruments, a novel particle sensor based on multi-angle [...] Read more.
Meteorological parameters such as relative humidity have a significant impact on the precision of PM2.5 measurement instruments based on light scattering. Instead of adding meteorological sensors or dehumidification devices used widely in commercial PM2.5 measurement instruments, a novel particle sensor based on multi-angle light scattering and data fusion is proposed to eliminate the effect of meteorological factors. Three photodiodes are employed to collect the scattered light flux at three distinct angles. Weather index is defined as the ratio of scattered light fluxes collected at the 40° and 55° angles, which can be used to distinguish the mass median diameter variation caused by different meteorological parameters. Simulations based on Lorenz-Mie theory and field experiments establish the feasibility of this scheme. Experimental results indicate that mass median diameter has less effect on the photodiode at the 55° angle in comparison with photodiodes at the 40° angle and 140° angle. After correction using the weather index, the photodiode at the 40° angle yielded the best results followed by photodiodes at the 55° angle and the 140° angle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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3929 KiB  
Article
Mid-Infrared Trace Gas Sensor Technology Based on Intracavity Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy
by Jacek Wojtas, Aleksander Gluszek, Arkadiusz Hudzikowski and Frank K. Tittel
Sensors 2017, 17(3), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17030513 - 04 Mar 2017
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 7278
Abstract
The application of compact inexpensive trace gas sensor technology to a mid-infrared nitric oxide (NO) detectoion using intracavity quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (I-QEPAS) is reported. A minimum detection limit of 4.8 ppbv within a 30 ms integration time was demonstrated by using a room-temperature, [...] Read more.
The application of compact inexpensive trace gas sensor technology to a mid-infrared nitric oxide (NO) detectoion using intracavity quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (I-QEPAS) is reported. A minimum detection limit of 4.8 ppbv within a 30 ms integration time was demonstrated by using a room-temperature, continuous-wave, distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 5.263 µm (1900.08 cm−1) and a new compact design of a high-finesse bow-tie optical cavity with an integrated resonant quartz tuning fork (QTF). The optimum configuration of the bow-tie cavity was simulated using custom software. Measurements were performed with a wavelength modulation scheme (WM) using a 2f detection procedure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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3931 KiB  
Article
Detection of Atmospheric Methyl Mercaptan Using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy with Multicomponent Spectral Fitting
by Zhenhui Du, Jiaxin Wan, Jinyi Li, Gang Luo, Hong Gao and Yiwen Ma
Sensors 2017, 17(2), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17020379 - 16 Feb 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5371
Abstract
Detection of methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) is essential for environmental atmosphere assessment and exhaled-breath analysis. This paper presents a sensitive CH3SH sensor based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) with a mid-infrared distributed feedback interband cascade laser (DFB-ICL). Multicomponent spectral fitting [...] Read more.
Detection of methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) is essential for environmental atmosphere assessment and exhaled-breath analysis. This paper presents a sensitive CH3SH sensor based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) with a mid-infrared distributed feedback interband cascade laser (DFB-ICL). Multicomponent spectral fitting was used not only to enhance the sensitivity of the sensor but also to determine the concentration of interferents (atmospheric water and methane). The results showed that the uncertainties in the measurement of CH3SH, H2O, and CH4 were less than 1.2%, 1.7% and 2.0%, respectively, with an integration time of 10 s. The CH3SH detection limit was as low as 7.1 ppb with an integration time of 295 s. Overall, the reported sensor, boasting the merits of high sensitivity, can be used for atmospheric methyl mercaptan detection, as well as multiple components detection of methyl mercaptan, water, and methane, simultaneously. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Tools: From Research to Practice (A Workshop Summary)
by Andrea L. Clements, William G. Griswold, Abhijit RS, Jill E. Johnston, Megan M. Herting, Jacob Thorson, Ashley Collier-Oxandale and Michael Hannigan
Sensors 2017, 17(11), 2478; https://doi.org/10.3390/s17112478 - 28 Oct 2017
Cited by 157 | Viewed by 17124
Abstract
In May 2017, a two-day workshop was held in Los Angeles (California, U.S.A.) to gather practitioners who work with low-cost sensors used to make air quality measurements. The community of practice included individuals from academia, industry, non-profit groups, community-based organizations, and regulatory agencies. [...] Read more.
In May 2017, a two-day workshop was held in Los Angeles (California, U.S.A.) to gather practitioners who work with low-cost sensors used to make air quality measurements. The community of practice included individuals from academia, industry, non-profit groups, community-based organizations, and regulatory agencies. The group gathered to share knowledge developed from a variety of pilot projects in hopes of advancing the collective knowledge about how best to use low-cost air quality sensors. Panel discussion topics included: (1) best practices for deployment and calibration of low-cost sensor systems, (2) data standardization efforts and database design, (3) advances in sensor calibration, data management, and data analysis and visualization, and (4) lessons learned from research/community partnerships to encourage purposeful use of sensors and create change/action. Panel discussions summarized knowledge advances and project successes while also highlighting the questions, unresolved issues, and technological limitations that still remain within the low-cost air quality sensor arena. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Sensors: A New Class of Tools to Measure Air Quality)
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