Abstract
Abstract. In this paper we evaluate characteristics of three optical particulate matter sensors/sizers (OPS): high-end spectrometer 11-D (Grimm, Germany), low-cost sensor OPC-N2 (Alphasense, United Kingdom) and in-house developed MAQS (Mobile Air Quality System), which is based on another low-cost sensor – PMS5003 (Plantower, China), under realistic conditions of strong and mild urban pollution. Results were compared against a reference gravimetric system, based on a Gemini (Dadolab, Italy), 2.3 m3 h−1 air sampler, with two channels (simultaneously measuring PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations). The measurements were performed in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, from December 2019 until May 2020. This interval is divided into period 1 – strong pollution – and period 2 – mild pollution. The city of Sarajevo is one of the most polluted cities in Europe in terms of particulate matter: the average concentration of PM2.5 during the period 1 was 83 µg m−3, with daily average values exceeding 500 µg m−3. During period 2, the average concentration of PM2.5 was 20 µg m−3. These conditions represent a good opportunity to test optical devices against the reference instrument in a wide range of ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations. The effect of an in-house developed diffusion dryer for 11-D is discussed as well. In order to analyse the mass distribution of particles, a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), which together with the 11-D spectrometer gives the full spectrum from nanoparticles of diameter 10 nm to coarse particles of diameter 35 µm, was used. All tested devices showed excellent correlation with the reference instrument in period 1, with R2 values between 0.90 and 0.99 for daily average PM concentrations. However, in period 2, where the range of concentrations was much narrower, R2 values decreased significantly, to values from 0.28 to 0.92. We have also included results of a 13.5-month long-term comparison of our MAQS sensor with a nearby beta attenuation monitor (BAM) 1020 (Met One Instruments, USA) operated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), which showed similar correlation and no observable change in performance over time.
Highlights
Analysis of particulate matter represents a key element for studies of air pollution
The lower limit of detection (LLoD) of PM2.5 concentration for evaluated optical aerosol devices is estimated based on their actual field performance
The same value is an estimation of Magi et al (2020), calculated by averaging segmented regressions, and Bulot et al (2019), by combining results from several previous studies. This method applied to OPC-N2 yields an LLoD of 2 and 1 μg m−3 for 11-D
Summary
Analysis of particulate matter represents a key element for studies of air pollution. In many cases particulate matter is a dominant pollutant among other components of pollution. Developing a strategy for reliable quantification of particulate matter in ambient air is necessary. The typical time resolution of such measurements is 24 h. There are portable air samplers, these measurements are usually performed at fixed locations, such as research supersites. Various governmental institutions usually opt for more affordable and easierto-use and -maintain equivalent methods. These are usually fixed, semi-automatic stations equipped with beta attenuation monitors (BAMs). The typical time resolution of such sta-
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