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Measuring Carbon-based Contaminant Mineralization Using Combined CO2 Flux and Radiocarbon Analyses
Published on: October 21, 2016
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Quantifying source contributions for indoor CO2 and gas pollutants based on the highly resolved sensor data.
Guofeng Shen1, Subinuer Ainiwaer1, Yaqi Zhu1
1College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Sino-French Institute for Earth System Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|December 1, 2020
Summary
Indoor air pollution from gases like CO2 and VOCs is higher than outdoor levels. Cooking and human metabolism are key indoor sources, with outdoor air also contributing significantly to indoor CO and methane.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Indoor Air Quality
- Atmospheric Chemistry
Background:
- Household air pollution significantly impacts population exposure but receives less attention than ambient air pollution.
- Detailed quantitative source contributions of indoor gaseous pollutants remain a significant knowledge gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate indoor air pollution dynamics and identify major sources of common indoor gases in an urban apartment.
- To quantitatively estimate the contributions of various sources to indoor pollutant concentrations using a novel statistical approach.
Main Methods:
- Temporally, spatially, and vertically resolved monitoring of indoor gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde, methane, and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- Simultaneous outdoor air monitoring for comparison.
- Development and application of a new statistical method for source apportionment.
Main Results:
- Indoor concentrations of monitored gases were significantly higher than outdoor levels.
- Outdoor air was a major source of indoor CO2; human metabolism and cooking were primary indoor sources.
- Outdoor infiltration and cooking contributed nearly equally to indoor CO.
- Outdoor infiltration was a more significant source of indoor methane than formaldehyde.
- Cooking contributed 24% to indoor formaldehyde, 19% to methane, and 25% to VOCs, with other unresolved indoor sources accounting for the remainder.
- Vertical measurements indicated higher pollutant concentrations in the upper kitchen layer due to thermal uplift.
Conclusions:
- Household air pollution dynamics are complex, with both indoor activities and outdoor infiltration playing crucial roles.
- The developed statistical approach provides a quantitative method for understanding indoor pollutant sources.
- Understanding indoor air pollution sources is critical for developing effective mitigation strategies to protect public health.
