American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 36th Annual Conference
October 16 - October 20, 2017
Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

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Performance Evaluation of "Low-Cost" Sensors for Measuring Gaseous and Particle Air Pollutants: Results from Three Years of Field and Laboratory Testing

ANDREA POLIDORI, Brandon Feenstra, Vasileios Papapostolou, Hang Zhang, South Coast Air Quality Management District

     Abstract Number: 131
     Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods

Abstract
In an effort to inform the general public about the actual performance of commercially available “low-cost” air quality sensors, in 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. 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 examples of how to use “low-cost” sensor technology to address specific air monitoring needs and develop sensor networks for measuring air quality in the South Coast Basin.