Development of a compact all-in-one chemical sensing module for in situ detection of fine dust components based on spark-induced plasma spectroscopy

• Published in: Measurement : journal of the International Measurement Confederation Vol. 192; p. 110860
• Main Authors: Park, Sanghoon, Yang, Jun-Ho, Jung, Jaehun, Kim, Seonghwan, Cho, Youngkyu, Yoh, Jack J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 31-03-2022; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Air pollutant; Air pollution; Air quality; Aluminum; Area under curve; Dust; Fine dust; Industrial development; Iron; Magnesium; Modernization; Modules; Plasma emission; Plasma spectra; Raspberry Pi; Scientific visualization; Sensors; Silicon; Spark-induced plasma spectroscopy; Spectrum analysis; Plasma emission; Fine dust; Raspberry Pi; Spark-induced plasma spectroscopy; Air pollutant; Area under curve
• ISSN: 0263-2241; 1873-412X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2022.110860

•Compact all-in-one unit for in-situ fine dust detection in atmosphere is developed.•Software for generation of plasma emission and visualization of signal is developed.•Intended limit of detection for specific fine dust components has been achieved.
Air pollution related to fine dust is increasing globally with rapid industrialization and modernization. With the rising environmental and health concerns with respect to air quality, it is imperative to develop an advanced system for detecting harmful components from airborne particles. Based on spark-induced plasma spectroscopy (SIPS), a novel instrument was designed for measurements of fine dust atomic components in situ. All the functional parts related to plasma generation, measurement, and data visualization of time-resolved electric signals were integrated into a compact single module with embedded software. Quantitative measurements were conducted to investigate and verify the performance of the all-in-one module for key components of fine dust, namely, Fe, Mg, Si, Ca, Al, and K. Along with the enhanced limit of detection by ∼ 1.4 times the previous setup, the quantitative monitoring of fine dust in the atmospheric environment is illustrated via the compact SIPS module.