La Palma, part of Spain’s Islas Canarias, experienced a 50-year volcanic eruption in September 2021. Less than a year later, in February this year, it experienced another dust storm caused by strong seasonal winds. The natural disasters that followed have had a serious impact on local air and people’s lives. Palas® responded immediately after learning of the outbreak and dispatched Palas® staff to the island to install 10 AQ Guard Smart Aerosol Spectrometers. In the face of this dust storm, the AQ Guard Smart will once again provide Spanish authorities with real-time monitoring data to help them make decisions and inform the public.
Dust storm hits La Palma
Sandstorm la Calima
The Islas Canarias are located in Morocco and west of the Sahara desert and are an autonomous region of Spain. The dust disaster was caused by a large storm called “la Calima” that swept across the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. According to an analysis published by the Washington Post on 24 May, the air flowed counterclockwise around the low-pressure area in the northeast Atlantic. The sand was sucked up by the Sahara Desert and blew the dust directly towards the Canary Islands before being directed west towards the centre of the storm. As first station where the dust settled and hit the hardest, was unfortunately this beautiful island.
The following figures show real-time PM10 concentrations measured by the monitoring network between 6pm on 14 and 15 January:
PSD phase diagram of volcanic ash and Saharan dust monitored by AQ Guard Smart
The sudden dust storm caused visibility to drop from more than five miles to less than a mile and air pollution to increase to the point where people could barely breathe. The local government declared a “state of alert” in the Canary Islands and advised people to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. Since the residence time of coarse dust particles in the aerosol state is not long, accurate instruments are required for measurement. As an expert in aerosol monitoring, Palas® not only has rich experience in monitoring urban particulate matter, but is also familiar with monitoring air quality in extreme weather conditions.
Particle Size Distributions – without specific events
Particle Size Distributions during sandstorm
Precise measurement of outdoor air
AQ Guard Smart is a robust aerosol spectrometer for outdoor air. It uses the measurement principle of optical scattered light measurement on single particles, based on the technology of the EN 16450 certified Fidas® 200. It can measure PM1, PM2.5, PM4 and PM10 simultaneously and also provides information on particle size distribution and particle number concentration from 175nm-18μm. It provides more information for research and regulatory authorities. A bidirectional connection via standardized protocols such as ASCII or direct transmission via the UDP protocol is easy to implement. For self-sufficient operation, the system can be powered by an external battery with or without solar backup. For a better understanding and interpretation of fine dust emissions and their origin, the unit can be equipped with a weather station. Sensors for recording temperature, humidity and pressure are integrated as standard. Like all Palas® systems for fine dust measurements, the AQ Guard Smart can also run stably over a long period of time and realize an on-site calibration through monodisperse standard particles.
AQ Guard Smart Receives MCERTS Approval
AQ Guard Smart, the latest Palas® air quality monitoring system for fine dust, received MCERTS approval as an indicative fine dust monitor on 24 June 2022. Whether for air quality measurements during the volcanic eruption on La Palma, for measurements of (fine) dust pollution at construction sites or at inner-city traffic junctions: The internationally recognised MCERTS certification confirms the AQ Guard Smart precise results in the measurement range (CN) up to 20,000 particles/cm³. This establishes the compact and cloud-compatible AQ Guard Smart as one of the most reliable measurement systems for determining air quality (PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10, TSP).
AQ Guard Smart Aerosol Spectrometer
Optional data cloud platform, plug and play, real-time viewing of hotspot data:
Advantages
·  Technology based on the certified Fidas® 200 series (EN16450 and MCERTS), Easy and fast installation
·  Configuration via Wi-Fi hotspot, remote, external touchpad
·  Communication via GPRS / 3G / 4G / Ethernet / Wi-Fi
·  Expandable with weather station / external battery / solar
·  Simultaneous measurement of Cn, PM1, PM5, PM4, PM10with high temporal resolution
·  Particle measurement range from 0.175 – 20,000 nm up to 100 mg/m³ mass concentration or 20,000 particle/cm³ (single particle analysis)
·  Continuous, simultaneous real-time measurement in second-by-second resolution
·  Visualization of the measured data in real time and their course
·  Data and parameters can be subsequently evaluated with Palas® PDAnalyze software
·  Real-time transfer of measured data without post-processing or adjustment
Applications
·  Industry:
–Â Â process of production
–Â Â Bulk material handling (mixing, unloading, storage, packaging, etc.)
–Â Â Factory Boundary Monitoring
·  Construction site: road, railway, demolition site
·  Buildings: schools, kindergartens, hospitals, hotels, offices, public service buildings
·  Residential buildings near construction sites or other polluted areas
·  Public transport: airports, railway stations, tram and metro stations, cruise ships, cabins, e.g. on trams, trains
Want more product information? You are cordially invited to the Palas® Webinar – AQ Guard Smart new product and application introduction.
Topic： Palas® AQ Guard Smart AQ Guard
Smart new product and application introduction.
Time: 26 August 2022, Friday 15: 00 – 16: 00
Presenter:Â Â Ms. Deng Jun
Palas® Business Development Manager—Environmental & Automotive
You are welcome to register for the conference!
Click here to register now