'Low-cost' Sensors for Measuring Gaseous and Particle Air Pollutants: Results from Three Years of Field and Laboratory Testing, and Real-Life Sensor Applications

摘要

In an effort to inform the general public about the actual performance of commercially available "low-cost" air quality sensors, in June 2014 the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has established the Air Quality Sensor Performance Evaluation Center (AQ-SPEC).This program aims at performing a thorough characterization of currently available "low-cost" sensors under ambient (field) and controlled (laboratory) conditions. In the field air quality sensors are operated side-by-side with Federal Reference Methods and Federal Equivalent Methods (FRM and FEM, respectively), which are routinely used to measure the ambient concentration of gaseous or particle pollutants for regulatory purposes. Field testing is conducted at one of SCAQMD's existing air monitoring stations in Rubidoux, California. Sensors that demonstrate an acceptable performance in the field are brought back to the lab where a "characterization chamber" is used to challenge these devices with known concentrations of different particle and gaseous pollutants under different temperature and relative humidity levels. Testing results for each sensor are then summarized in a technical report and, along with other relevant information, posted online on a dedicated website (www.aqmd.gov/aq-spec) to educate the public about the capabilities of commercially available sensors and their potential applications. During this presentation, the results from three years of field and laboratory testing will be discussed in detail along with our experience developing sensor networks for specific applications, including: fenceline monitoring of fugitive PM emissions from a waste disposal facility, community monitoring of VOC emissions downwind of refineries and other industrial facilities, real-time monitoring of ambient PM concentrations to validate satellite data, and others.