Performance Evaluation of Real-time DustTrak Monitors for Outdoor Particulate Mass Measurements in a Desert Environment

Wasim Javed,Bing Guo

doi:10.4209/aaqr.200631

Abstract

Using the filter-based gravimetric technique as the reference method, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of the TSI DustTrak DRX® aerosol monitor, which offers real-time measurements, and establish suitable factors for bias correction in real-world operating conditions. Overall, the DustTrak demonstrated high precision in tracking the PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations; however, the measurements significantly deviated from those obtained via the reference method, showing an overestimation by a factor of ~2 for the fine fraction and an underestimation by ~20% for the coarse one. Applying a correction factor based on a constant proportion produced an acceptable level of accuracy, but utilizing one adjusted for humidity achieved even better results. These factors can also be used to enhance the accuracy of DustTrak measurements under comparable conditions, i.e., for aerosol with similar properties in similar environments. Additionally, the proposed approaches can serve as a model for field calibration and measurement data correction in other studies employing various types of real-time optical monitors.

Highlights

Airborne particulate matter (PM), as a major air pollutant, has well-reported adverse health effects, including respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological problems and premature mortality (Anderson et al, 2012)
The high precision suggests that the DustTrak monitor can be reliably used for characterizing PM2.5 mass concentrations when an appropriate correction factor is applied
This study assessed the performance of the DustTrak DRX aerosol monitor using the gravimetric technique as the reference method and identified appropriate bias correction factors for real-world operating conditions

Summary

Introduction

Airborne particulate matter (PM), as a major air pollutant, has well-reported adverse health effects, including respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological problems and premature mortality (Anderson et al, 2012). Over the past two decades, portable real-time optical aerosol monitors and sensors have found increasing use in air quality monitoring (Liu et al, 2017; Zhang et al, 2018). These monitors offer numerous advantages over the reference filter-based samplers. Traditional gravimetric samplers are accurate, reliable, and robust devices for determining the PM mass concentration and its detailed characteristics. This reference sampling technique is expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. It requires long sampling and analysis time and does not provide real-time information (Chung et al, 2001)

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