Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality Changes
Official air quality (AQ) stations are sporadically located in cities to monitor the anthropogenic pollutant levels. Consequently, their data cannot be used for further locations to estimate hidden changes in AQ and local emissions. Low-cost sensors (LCSs) of particulate matter (PM) in a network can...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-08-01
|
| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1218 |
| _version_ | 1797432512027295744 |
|---|---|
| author | László Bencs Béla Plósz Albert Geoffrey Mmari Norbert Szoboszlai |
| author_facet | László Bencs Béla Plósz Albert Geoffrey Mmari Norbert Szoboszlai |
| author_sort | László Bencs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Official air quality (AQ) stations are sporadically located in cities to monitor the anthropogenic pollutant levels. Consequently, their data cannot be used for further locations to estimate hidden changes in AQ and local emissions. Low-cost sensors (LCSs) of particulate matter (PM) in a network can help in solving this problem. However, the applicability of LCSs in terms of analytical performance requires careful evaluation. In this study, two types of pocket-size LCSs were tested at urban, suburban and background sites in Budapest, Hungary, to monitor PM<sub>1</sub>, PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub>, and microclimatic parameters at high resolutions (1 s to 5 min). These devices utilize the method of laser irradiation and multi-angle light scattering on air-suspended particulates. A research-grade AQ monitor was applied as a reference. The LCSs showed acceptable accuracy for PM species in indoor/outdoor air even without calibration. Low PM readings (<10 μg/m<sup>3</sup>) were generally handicapped by higher bias, even between sensors of the same type. The relative humidity (RH) slightly affected the PM readings of LCSs at RHs higher than 85%, necessitating field calibration. The air quality index was calculated to classify the extent of air pollution and to make predictions for human health effects. The LCSs were useful for detecting peaks stemming from emissions of motor vehicular traffic and residential cooking/heating activities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:01:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b83c4c4018a46309ed82b709d39757c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:01:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b83c4c4018a46309ed82b709d39757c2023-12-01T23:23:36ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-08-01138121810.3390/atmos13081218Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality ChangesLászló Bencs0Béla Plósz1Albert Geoffrey Mmari2Norbert Szoboszlai3Department of Applied and Nonlinear Optics, Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest, HungaryPlósz Engineering Office Ltd., KFKI-Campus, Konkoly-Thege Miklós út 29-33, H-1121 Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Science and Laboratory Technology, Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 2958, TanzaniaDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Loránd Eötvös University, Pázmány Péter Sétány 1/a, H-1117 Budapest, HungaryOfficial air quality (AQ) stations are sporadically located in cities to monitor the anthropogenic pollutant levels. Consequently, their data cannot be used for further locations to estimate hidden changes in AQ and local emissions. Low-cost sensors (LCSs) of particulate matter (PM) in a network can help in solving this problem. However, the applicability of LCSs in terms of analytical performance requires careful evaluation. In this study, two types of pocket-size LCSs were tested at urban, suburban and background sites in Budapest, Hungary, to monitor PM<sub>1</sub>, PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub>, and microclimatic parameters at high resolutions (1 s to 5 min). These devices utilize the method of laser irradiation and multi-angle light scattering on air-suspended particulates. A research-grade AQ monitor was applied as a reference. The LCSs showed acceptable accuracy for PM species in indoor/outdoor air even without calibration. Low PM readings (<10 μg/m<sup>3</sup>) were generally handicapped by higher bias, even between sensors of the same type. The relative humidity (RH) slightly affected the PM readings of LCSs at RHs higher than 85%, necessitating field calibration. The air quality index was calculated to classify the extent of air pollution and to make predictions for human health effects. The LCSs were useful for detecting peaks stemming from emissions of motor vehicular traffic and residential cooking/heating activities.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1218low-cost air pollution sensoroptical particle counterlaser optical detectionmethod calibrationfine and coarse atmospheric aerosolair sampling |
| spellingShingle | László Bencs Béla Plósz Albert Geoffrey Mmari Norbert Szoboszlai Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality Changes Atmosphere low-cost air pollution sensor optical particle counter laser optical detection method calibration fine and coarse atmospheric aerosol air sampling |
| title | Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality Changes |
| title_full | Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality Changes |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality Changes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality Changes |
| title_short | Comparative Study on the Use of Some Low-Cost Optical Particulate Sensors for Rapid Assessment of Local Air Quality Changes |
| title_sort | comparative study on the use of some low cost optical particulate sensors for rapid assessment of local air quality changes |
| topic | low-cost air pollution sensor optical particle counter laser optical detection method calibration fine and coarse atmospheric aerosol air sampling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1218 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laszlobencs comparativestudyontheuseofsomelowcostopticalparticulatesensorsforrapidassessmentoflocalairqualitychanges AT belaplosz comparativestudyontheuseofsomelowcostopticalparticulatesensorsforrapidassessmentoflocalairqualitychanges AT albertgeoffreymmari comparativestudyontheuseofsomelowcostopticalparticulatesensorsforrapidassessmentoflocalairqualitychanges AT norbertszoboszlai comparativestudyontheuseofsomelowcostopticalparticulatesensorsforrapidassessmentoflocalairqualitychanges |