Long-Term Characterization of Indoor Air Quality at a Research Area Building: Comparing Reference Instruments and Low-Cost Sensors

Resource type
Journal Article
Authors/contributors
Title
Long-Term Characterization of Indoor Air Quality at a Research Area Building: Comparing Reference Instruments and Low-Cost Sensors
Abstract
Indoor particle number size distribution (0.3-10 μm), equivalent black carbon (eBC), and Ångström absorption exponent (AAE) data were collected in real conditions, over a ten-month period at a research area building, in a semirural site, to characterize indoor aerosol loading. Additionally, during the campaign, emissions from four indoor sources commonly used at the site (incense, traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and heat-not-burn products) were studied during short-term experiments with the support of ultrafine particle (UFP) monitoring. Two particle low-cost sensors (PM LCS), Sensirion SPS30 (0.3-10 μm), were evaluated in the long-term campaign and during fast emission processes, to assess their accuracy and reliability. Penetration and infiltration of both fine and coarse particles from outdoor traffic, domestic heating, and dust resuspension were inferred as the main sources of indoor aerosols on a long-term basis. Moreover, long-range transported dust aerosols were found to influence indoor coarse number concentration. Among the source events, heat-not-burn (HNB) product resulted in the lowest effect on indoor air quality, whereas the highest AAE values from incense and traditional cigarettes suggest the brown carbon (BrC) production. The highest emission of UFP was caused by electronic cigarettes (e-cig), which spanned particles from the ultrafine to the coarse fractions. This was likely due to the release of metal and silicate from the coil. Analysis of number size distributions of the four experiments revealed the emission of fine particles (0.3-1 μm) and super micron particles. SPS30s performance was satisfactory in terms of accuracy, precision, and durability, indicating that these devices are suitable for monitoring indoor air quality. Additionally, the two PM LCS were able to detect all simulated fast emission sources.
Publication
Indoor Air
Volume
2024
Pages
1-17
Date
2024-2-23
Journal Abbr
Indoor Air
Language
en
ISSN
1600-0668, 0905-6947
Short Title
Long-Term Characterization of Indoor Air Quality at a Research Area Building
Accessed
02/03/2024, 22:25
Library Catalogue
DOI.org (Crossref)
Citation
Calvello, M., Agresti, F., Esposito, F., & Pavese, G. (2024). Long-Term Characterization of Indoor Air Quality at a Research Area Building: Comparing Reference Instruments and Low-Cost Sensors. Indoor Air, 2024, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/8799498