Measuring the Air Quality Using Low-Cost Air Sensors in a Parking Garage at University of Minnesota, USA

Andres Gonzalez; Adam Boies; Jacob Swanson; David Kittelson

doi:10.3390/ijerph192215223

Measuring the Air Quality Using Low-Cost Air Sensors in a Parking Garage at University of Minnesota, USA

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 18;19(22):15223. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192215223.

Authors

Andres Gonzalez¹, Adam Boies², Jacob Swanson³, David Kittelson⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
² Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK.
³ Department of Integrated Engineering, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, USA.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.

Abstract

The concentration of air pollutants in underground parking garages has been found to be higher compared to ambient air. Vehicle emissions from cold starts are the main sources of air pollution in underground parking garages. Eight days of measurements, using low-cost air sensors, were conducted at one underground parking garage at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. The CO, NO, NO₂, and PM2.5 daily average concentrations in the parking garage were measured to be higher, by up to more than an order of magnitude, compared to the ambient concentration. There is positive correlation between exit traffic flow and the air concentrations in the parking garage for lung deposited surface area (LDSA), CO₂, NO, and CO. Fuel specific emission factors were calculated for CO, NO, and NOx. Ranging from 25 to 28 g/kg_fuel for CO, from 1.3 to 1.7 g/kg_fuel for NO, and from 2.1 to 2.7 g/kg_fuel for NOx. Regulated emissions were also calculated for CO and NOx with values of 2.4 to 2.9 and 0.19 to 0.25 g/mile, respectively. These emissions are about 50% higher than the 2017 U.S. emission standards for CO and nearly an order magnitude higher for NOx.

Keywords: air pollutants; air pollution; fuel emissions; gases; low-cost sensors; particles; underground parking garage.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
United States
Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

Vehicle Emissions
Air Pollutants

Grants and funding

The funding source is University of Minnesota by Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering and MnDRIVE Informatics PhD Graduate Assistantships.