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Atmosphere
Volume 16
Issue 5
10.3390/atmos16050613
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

A Monitoring and Sampling Platform for Air Pollutants on a Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Development and Application

by
Xiaodie Kong
1,2,3,
Xiaoya Dou
1,
Hefan Liu
4,*,
Guangming Shi
2,3,
Xingyu Xiang
1,2,3,
Qinwen Tan
4,
Danlin Song
4,
Fengxia Huang
4,
Xiaoling Zhou
4,
Hongbin Jiang
5,
Pu Wang
5,
Li Zhou
2,3,* and
Fumo Yang
2,3
1
College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
2
College of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
3
Yibin Institute of Industrial Technology, Sichuan University Yibin Park, Yibin 644000, China
4
Chengdu Academy of Environmental Science, Chengdu 610072, China
5
Sichuan Province Suining Ecological Environment Monitoring Center Station, Suining 629000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Atmosphere 2025, 16(5), 613; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16050613 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 19 April 2025 / Revised: 11 May 2025 / Accepted: 15 May 2025 / Published: 17 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Characterization, Environmental Impacts and Control)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Complex air pollution, including particulate matter and ozone, is a significant environmental issue in China, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as key precursors. Traditional ground-based monitoring methods struggle to capture the vertical distribution and changes of pollutants in the troposphere. To address this, we developed a vertical monitoring and sampling platform using a quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The platform, equipped with lightweight quartz sampling canisters and miniaturized sensors, collects air samples for VOC analysis and vertical data on meteorological parameters and particulate matter. Performance tests showed the quartz canisters had less than 15% adsorption loss, with sample storage stability exceeding 80% over three days. Sensor data showed strong correlations with standard instruments (R2 > 0.80). Computational fluid dynamics simulations optimized the sampler’s inlet position and ascertained that ascending flight mitigates rotor-induced air recirculation. Field campaigns were conducted at six sites along the Chengdu Metropolitan Circle Ring Expressway. Vertical data from 0~300 m revealed particulate matter concentrations peaked at 50~70 m. Near-surface VOCs were dominated by alkanes, while aromatics were found concentrated at 150~250 m, indicating significant regional transport influences. The results confirmed the platform’s effectiveness for pollutant distribution analysis.
Keywords: vertical observation; VOCs sampling; unmanned aerial vehicle; atmospheric pollutants; flow field simulation vertical observation; VOCs sampling; unmanned aerial vehicle; atmospheric pollutants; flow field simulation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Kong, X.; Dou, X.; Liu, H.; Shi, G.; Xiang, X.; Tan, Q.; Song, D.; Huang, F.; Zhou, X.; Jiang, H.; et al. A Monitoring and Sampling Platform for Air Pollutants on a Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Development and Application. Atmosphere 2025, 16, 613. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16050613

AMA Style

Kong X, Dou X, Liu H, Shi G, Xiang X, Tan Q, Song D, Huang F, Zhou X, Jiang H, et al. A Monitoring and Sampling Platform for Air Pollutants on a Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Development and Application. Atmosphere. 2025; 16(5):613. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16050613

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kong, Xiaodie, Xiaoya Dou, Hefan Liu, Guangming Shi, Xingyu Xiang, Qinwen Tan, Danlin Song, Fengxia Huang, Xiaoling Zhou, Hongbin Jiang, and et al. 2025. "A Monitoring and Sampling Platform for Air Pollutants on a Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Development and Application" Atmosphere 16, no. 5: 613. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16050613

APA Style

Kong, X., Dou, X., Liu, H., Shi, G., Xiang, X., Tan, Q., Song, D., Huang, F., Zhou, X., Jiang, H., Wang, P., Zhou, L., & Yang, F. (2025). A Monitoring and Sampling Platform for Air Pollutants on a Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Development and Application. Atmosphere, 16(5), 613. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16050613

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