You are here:
Development of a wireless air pollution sensor package for aerial-sampling of emissions
Citation:
Zhou, X., B. Gullett, Bill Mitchell, AND J. Aurell. Development of a wireless air pollution sensor package for aerial-sampling of emissions. Presented at A&WMA 108th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Raleigh, NC, June 21 - 25, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
This short presentation introduces the lightweight sensor/sampler platform for use on aerial sampling efforts.
Description:
A new sensor system for mobile and aerial emission sampling was developed for open area pollutant sources, such as prescribed forest burns. The sensor system, termed “Kolibri”, consists of multiple low-cost air quality sensors measuring CO2, CO, samplers for particulate matter with diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Kolibri is controlled by an Arduino-based motherboard which can record and transfer data in real time through an Xbee radio module. Selection of the sensors was based on laboratory testing for accuracy, response delay, cross-sensitivity, and precision. The Kolibri was compared against continuous emission monitors (CEMs) and another sampling instrument (the “Flyer”) that had been used in over ten open area pollutant sampling events. Our results showed that the time series of CO and CO2 concentration and the PM2.5 measured by the Kolibri agreed well with those from the CEMs and the Flyer. The emission factors of VOCs derived using the Kolibri are comparable with existing literature values. In the future, the Kolibri system can be applied to various open area sampling challenge such as fires, lagoons, flares, and landfills.