A Review of Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors from the Developers’ Perspectives

Abstract

The concerns related to particulate matter’s health effects alongside the increasing demands from citizens for more participatory, timely, and diffused air quality monitoring actions have resulted in increasing scientific and industrial interest in low-cost particulate matter sensors (LCPMS). In the present paper, we discuss 50 LCPMS models, a number that is particularly meaningful when compared to the much smaller number of models described in other recent reviews on the same topic. After illustrating the basic definitions related to particulate matter (PM) and its measurements according to international regulations, the device’s operating principle is presented, focusing on a discussion of the several characterization methodologies proposed by various research groups, both in the lab and in the field, along with their possible limitations. We present an extensive review of the LCPMS currently available on the market, their electronic characteristics, and their applications in published literature and from specific tests. Most of the reviewed LCPMS can accurately monitor PM changes in the environment and exhibit good performances with accuracy that, in some conditions, can reach R2 values up to 0.99. However, such results strongly depend on whether the device is calibrated or not (using a reference method) in the operative environment; if not, R2 values lower than 0.5 are observed.

Correction: Alfano et al. A Review of Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors from the Developers’ Perspectives. Sensors 2020, 20, 6819

“…The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]: In the original article, the sorting order of the reference list starting from reference no. 110 up to reference no.…”

Assessment of PM2.5 Exposure during Cycle Trips in The Netherlands Using Low-Cost Sensors

“…Wesseling et al (2019) analyzed these stationary sensor measurements and concluded that the rise of citizen science and increasingly better performing low-cost sensors will change the role of Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) significantly in the coming years [ 13 ]. In recent years, several studies have given an extensive overview of the use of low-cost sensors, their calibration options and other technical considerations [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]…”

“…Wesseling et al (2019) analyzed these stationary sensor measurements and concluded that the rise of citizen science and increasingly better performing low-cost sensors will change the role of Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) significantly in the coming years [13]. In recent years, several studies have given an extensive overview of the use of low-cost sensors, their calibration options and other technical considerations [16][17][18] Another reason for the increasing interest in low-cost sensors is their potential for personal exposure monitoring [17,19]. Typically, estimates for exposure are based on modeled PM concentrations at home addresses or zip codes.…”

Added Value of Vaisala AQT530 Sensors as a Part of a Sensor Network for Comprehensive Air Quality Monitoring

“…These detectors have been utilized successfully in dense air quality monitoring networks, although cross-sensitivity between different gases (e.g., O 3 and NO 2 ), influence of relative humidity, temperature dependency and longterm drift may often hinder their overall performance (Jiao et al, 2016;Cross et al, 2017). For particle phased pollutants, the dominant detection technique is based on the detection of light scattered from illuminated particles (Karagulian et al, 2019;Alfano et al, 2020). This technique is applicable mainly for the particle mass concentration monitoring as its sensitivity for the detection of ultrafine particles is limited (Hinds, 1999).…”