Air Monitoring 49
• Satellite measurements • Instrumentation and data
SAQN-funded Scoping Studies have explored the applications of these techniques to air quality in a number of ways. One team used Computational Fluid Dynamic modelling to map indoor air quality, and another has combined satellite data with ground based measurements to improve monitoring of ammonia emissions. Machine learning has been used to speed up real-time air quality predictions in a project that has also drawn on satellite data.
Instrumentation development
STFC have developed numerous new instruments for use in space science and satellite measurements, which require novel technologies that can work in harsh environments, need to be compact, lightweight, low power, autonomous… in short, all things that make them ideal for fi eld deployment in air quality research.
Aerial view of RAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory © STFC
scale ups and sector leader companies sit alongside leading academic institutions in a thriving community. STFC are also a research funder, and award grants for new research ideas and to support commercialisation of new technologies.
STFC’s capabilities can be broadly divided into three categories: Large Analytical Facilities, High-Performance Computing and Instrumentation Development.
Large Analytical Facilities
These include the Diamond Light Source, which acts like a giant microscope to examine materials at atomic and molecular scales. As its name suggests, Diamond is very bright and can see very weak signals. The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source works in a similar way, but is better suited to studying light at the atomic scale. Finally, the Central Laser Facility has a suite of instruments, including particle accelerators that can probe chemical reactions as they happen. Example applications for this could be to examine chemical reactions in lung fl uids or on atmospheric particles. The Central Laser Facility’s instruments can investigate biochemical and biophysical processes, and can also pinpoint individual particles for study.
SAQN have one funded project making use of the Large Analytical Facilities; scientists from UKHSA (formerly Public Health England) are using both the Central Laser Facility and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source to explore how nanoparticles behave at the Blood Brain Barrier, improving our understanding of the health impacts of air pollution. Two more SAQN funded projects have identifi ed potential applications of the techniques available at these facilities to investigate the effects of wildfi res on human health and climate change by studying biomass burning aerosol and to learn more about the reactivity of Persistent Organic Particles (POPs).
High-Performance Computing
The Hartree Centre in Cheshire enables industry access to STFC’s world-class High Performing Computing capabilities, and also to their software development skills. It includes the largest supercomputer in the world dedicated to software development,
Visualisation of CO2 © STFC
Author Contact Details Fleur Hughes, Network Manager, SAQN • Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK • Tel: 01904 322554 • Email: fl
eur.hughes@
york.ac.uk • Web:
www.saqn.org
Selective, reliable and simultaneous analysis of CH4 ) and nitrous oxide (N2 and N2
The GASERA ONE GHG greenhouse gas analyser is based on combining ultra-sensitive cantilever enhanced photoacoustic detection technology with quantum cascade laser source operating at a Mid-IR fundamental spectral absorption line of greenhouse gases methane (CH4
O). In addition to these main components the GASERA ONE GHG can be expanded to measure H2 O and CO2 O greenhouse gases also.
The monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is the basis for the global climate policy. A large amount of greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere is due to human activities such as farming. Emissions take place from the livestock and from soil and are a concern for both the environment and for the effi ciency of food production. Monitoring of greenhouse gases can also be used to improve the living conditions of farm animals and to evaluate the need for fertilisation of the soil and soil applications in general.
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas in terms of concentration and impact on the climate. Nitrous oxide is also very potent greenhouse gas and a major scavenger of ozone. N2
recognised ill effects on our health. GASERA ONE GHG has ppb-level detection limits for both CH4 monitoring of even the smallest changes in the background levels of ambient air.
O is the third most important long-lived greenhouse gas and has several and N2
O, which ensures reliable
GASERA ONE GHG provides the user with a simple and intuitive interface with high resolution display and a single rotating dial. The unique photoacoustic technology provides an exceptionally high level of stability with a recommended re-calibration period of 12 months, offering a low total cost of ownership. Other benefi ts include: no consumables or wet chemistry, drift-free operation, high selectivity, and wide linear dynamic range.
More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/XZG9 For More Info, email:
email: For More Info, email:
57601pr@reply-direct.com
WWW.ENVIROTECH-ONLINE.COM
and is specifi cally focused around industry applications. The Centre for Environmental Data Analysis holds the largest amount of environmental data, and through JASMIN, allow researchers to work collaboratively to analyse large datasets and to host models and data in one place. Among the many areas of expertise, those most relevant to air quality research are:
• Computational chemistry • Computational engineering • Computational fl uid dynamics • Model coupling
• Data integration and visualisation • Machine learning
• AI technologies for data analysis • Software development and engineering • Petascale data storage
Many SAQN-funded projects to date have taken advantage of this expertise, including the development of new miniaturised sensors that can be mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for deployment in volcanic plumes. The miniaturised sensors will be further developed in another project, which will produce a next generation air quality sensor. This aims to be smaller, cheaper and more accurate than its predecessor, and has signifi cant commercialisation potential. SAQN have also funded a project looking at fl uxes and source apportionment, building on pre-existing sensor technology and developing a new ammonia sensor. And the AiRefUnits project also makes use of the miniaturisation capabilities of STFC to develop a low-cost reference unit to calibrate measurements from other sensors in low-resource regions.
These are just some examples of how STFC capabilities could be applied to air pollution research. SAQN is keen to connect more researchers with challenge owners to identify additional areas for STFC capabilities to drive air quality research forward.
References 1.
https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
