Wood stoves seem like a great way to heat your home. However, air pollution from wood stove flue gases can cause environmental and health problems. Burning wood releases solid and gaseous pollutants in varying concentrations: particulate matter, carcinogenic soot, and harmful gases such as CO, benzene, and formaldehyde. Not only untreated wood is often burned, but also lignite briquettes, painted furniture, or waste. As a result, other pollutants such as benzene, furans, dioxins, and hydrogen cyanide are released into the air. Particularly small particulate matter and nanoparticles smaller than 2.5 micrometers can have health effects. Breathing in larger quantities can lead to so-called “oxidative stress” and result in diseases of the lungs or cardiovascular system. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology uses Palas® AQ Guard Smart for air quality measurement due to its precise measurement with lower expenditure. That provides local government and research teams air quality data, and powerful technical support for outdoor air quality monitoring and control.
Spread of wood stove fumes in a residential area
Air Pollution Threatens Areas Inside and Outside of Cities
Particularly insidious, particulate matter is usually not seen or measured sufficiently or at suitable locations. The issue is receiving more attention in larger cities due to emission sources such as traffic and construction sites. Here, measuring stations or entire measuring networks are being set up more and more frequently. One of the best-known measuring stations in Germany is the Neckartor in Stuttgart. The PM2.5 values (annual mean) shown below show the pollution levels at traffic sites in Baden-Württemberg compared to the urban and rural background. Despite improvements in recent years, the deviation from the current recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) is clear.
PM2.5 immissions at different locations
What is the situation in residential areas away from big cities?
As part of a research project, Professor Achim Dittler of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has taken measurements with equipment from Palas® in a residential area in Stutensee near Karlsruhe since 2020. The result: If comfort stoves are operated in the evening and night hours, the pollution of the air inhaled with respirable fine dust is several times higher on an hourly average than at Stuttgart’s Neckartor.
Daily variation PM2.5/VOC immissions Feb. 7, 2023
On February 7, 2023, values of up to 70 µg/m3 were measured in the evening hours, with a daily mean of 16.6 µg/m3. The WHO daily guideline value is 15 µg/m3. Therefore, the immissions at night was about 4.7 times of the guideline value, and fitted Professor Dittler’s conclusion.
PM2.5 daily mean value in winter 2022/2023
The observation of the daily mean values in winter 2022/2023 shows the recurring exceedance of WHO recommendations and planned EU limit values during the heating period. On more than 30 of 90 days, the measured value exceeded the guideline value.
The research project exemplifies how important it is to measure local air quality, such as supporting administrative decisions or transparent communication. In residential areas, in particular, air quality needs to be more adequately recorded. In small and medium sized cities, no official measuring stations usually continuously record data in the relevant measuring range over the day.
The Certificated Quality of Palas®
The AQ Guard Smart 1000 and 2000 are used in Professor Dittler’s research project. The AQ Guard Smart family is particularly compact and robust, making it ideal for monitoring outdoor air quality. The simple installation and virtually maintenance-free operation allow municipalities to set up small “pools” of measuring devices that can be used flexibly in different locations in a costand resource-saving manner.
The AQ Guard Smart 1000 is MCERTS certified and measures fine dust fractions PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10, and particle number concentration, among others. The AQ Guard Smart 2000 specifically monitors ultrafine particles. Unlike traditional and costly condensation particle counters, it requires no additional operating equipment.
All AQ Guard Smart system variants also allow data management via the MyAtmosphere Cloud. This platform enables measuring devices and users to be managed, and measurement data can be visualized, documented, and shared with others.
Palas® AQ Guard Smart system
Optional data cloud platform, plug and play, real-time viewing of hotspot data:
Advantages
· Technology based on FIDAS® 200 series, with accuracy and reproducibility of fine dust values; known for its proven fast and easy field calibration
· Fast commissioning and immediate acquisition of measured values via the MyAtmosphere cloud
· Situational configuration via Wi-Fi hotspot, remote access as well as external touchpad
· Communication via GPRS / 3G / 4G / Ethernet / Wi-Fi, optional: LoRaWAN
· Expandable with weather station and gas sensor for better assessment and evaluation of particulate matter data and other parameters
· Measure Cn, PM1, PM5, PM4, PM10 with high temporal resolution (Optional: SO2, CO, NO2, O3)
· Particle measurement range from 0.175 – 20,000 nm up to 100 mg/m³ mass concentration or 20,000 particle/cm³ (single particle analysis)
Applications
· Industry:
– Production processes
– Bulk material handling (mixing, discharge, storage, packaging, etc.)
– Fence line Monitoring
· Construction sites: roads, railroads, demolition sites
· Buildings: schools, kindergartens, hospitals, hotels, offices, public service buildings
· Residential buildings near construction sites or other polluted areas
· Public transportation: airports, train stations, tramway & underground stations, cruise ships, passenger cabin, e.g. in tram, train
Meet the Palas® Experts – Offline Seminars
Palas® will hold offline seminars in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou from July 17 to 21, 2023. Mr. Henrik Hof, Global Environmental Product Manager of Palas® Germany, and Ms. David Deng, Product Manager of Palas® Environmental, and Automotive Business China, will meet you in person offline.
Topic: Palas® Ultrafine Particle Measurement Solutions
Conference time and location: (specific information to be announced)
July 17, 2023, 9:30-12:00, 14:30-17:30 – Shanghai
July 19, 2023, 9:30-12:00 – Beijing
July 21, 2023, 9:30-12:00 – Guangzhou
You are welcome to register for the conference!
Click here to register