Evaluating the performance and influencing factors of three portable black carbon monitors for field measurement

作     者：Liqing Wu Yicheng Shen Fei Che Yuzhe Zhang Jian Gao Chong Wang Liqing Wu;Yicheng Shen;Fei Che;Yuzhe Zhang;Jian Gao;Chong Wang

作者机构：State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk AssessmentChinese Research Academy of Environmental SciencesBeijing 100012China Jinan Ecological Environmental Protection Grid-Based Supervision CenterJinan 250013China 

出 版 物：《Journal of Environmental Sciences》 (环境科学学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2024年第139卷第5期

页      面：320-333页

核心收录：

学科分类：0830[工学-环境科学与工程（可授工学、理学、农学学位）] 08[工学] 0804[工学-仪器科学与技术] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42075182)。 

主　　题：Black carbon Aethalometer Loading artifact Performance evaluation Portable device 

摘      要：Black carbon(BC)is associated with adverse human health and climate change.Mapping BC spatial distribution imperatively requires low-cost and portable devices.Several portable BC monitors are commercially available,but their accuracy and reliability are not always satisfactory during continuous field observation.This study evaluated three models of portable black carbon monitors,C12,MA350 and DST,and investigates the factors that affect their performance.The monitors were tested in urban Beijing,where portable devices running for one month alongside a regular-size reference aethalometer AE33.The study considers several factors that could influence the monitors performance,including ambient weather,aerosol composition,loading artifacts,and built-in algorithms.The results show that MA350and DST present considerable discrepancies to the reference instrument,mainly occurring at lower concentrations(0-500 ng/m^(3))and higher concentrations(2500-8000 ng/m^(3)),respectively.These discrepancies were likely caused by the anomalous noise of MA350 and the loading artifacts of DST.The study also suggests that the ambient environment has limited influence on the monitors performance,but loading artifacts and accompanying compensation algorithms can result in unrealistic data.Based on the evaluation,the study suggests that C12 is the best choice for unsupervised field measurement,DST should be used in scenarios where frequent maintenance is available,and MA350 is suitable for research purposes with post-processing applicable.The study highlights the importance of assigning portable BC monitors to appropriate applications and the need for optimized real-time compensation algorithms.