Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality in the Era of COVID-19

Dear Colleagues,

Occupants in buildings suffer from both indoor-emitted and outdoor-origin air pollutants, such as SARS-COV-2 viruses that cause COVID-19 and NOx, respectively. The contributions of indoor and outdoor sources to the indoor environment change dynamically, which makes it difficult to provide effective mitigating strategies of human exposure without real-time air quality data. Currently, the development of technologies for the Internet-of-Things-based air quality sensors provides an opportunity to realize long-term monitoring for air quality at a low cost. Previous studies have shown the reliability of low-cost monitoring results for common air quality parameters. However, research efforts are still urgently needed to provide better solutions for indoor air quality (IAQ) regarding the growing need for the improvement of human health and energy conservation in buildings. The research effort includes:

1) how the IAQ would be impacted under different outdoor environment and occupant behaviors;

2) how to make good predictions regarding IAQ based on the massive data from indoor and outdoor sensors;

3) how to provide a better control strategy for IAQ-related devices to achieve energy-efficient ventilation;

4) exploring the possibility of integrating IAQ sensors and personal/zoned ventilation to provide more efficient ventilation solutions for both the IAQ and energy sides;

5) how the monitoring performance and accuracy can be further improved.

In light of the above information, the Topic aims to increase the interdisciplinary knowledge in a broad spectrum, which includes the relationship between indoor and outdoor air quality, prediction of indoor air quality, health impact, and exposure mitigation strategies. Studies can be conducted in any type of built environment, such as residential and commercial buildings and vehicular cabins. Studies that target one or multiple types of air pollutants that impact human health are warmly welcome. In particular, solutions to airborne particulate matters (PM) and pathogens are of significant interest due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Jiayu Li
Dr. Xilei Dai
Prof. Dr. Junjie Liu
Topic Editors