Real-Time Visual Monitoring and High Spatiotemporal-Resolution Mapping of Air Pollutants Using a Drone-Mass...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Atmospheric Chemistry

Background:

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are key contributors to air pollutant formation.
• Real-time monitoring of VOCs is crucial for understanding their sources, environmental effects, health impacts, and climate implications.
• Existing analytical methods often lack field deployability for comprehensive VOC analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a flying-drone-based mass spectrometer (drone-MS) system for real-time, visual monitoring of complex VOCs.
• To map the spatiotemporal and geospatial diffusion and distribution of VOCs in the air.
• To demonstrate the system's capability for urban air quality assessment and source apportionment.

Main Methods:

• Development of a portable mass spectrometer integrated onto a flying drone.
• System calibration and analytical performance evaluation using a mixture of 18 VOCs.
• Field deployment for real-time VOC monitoring with high temporal (1.0 s) and spatial (2.0 m) resolution.

Main Results:

• The drone-MS system demonstrated high sensitivity (LODs: 1.10-17.91 μg/m³; LOQs: 3.84-37.61 μg/m³).
• Excellent quantitative ability (R² > 0.99) and good reproducibility (RSDs: <18.28%) were achieved.
• Successful online monitoring and mapping of complex VOCs in urban environments were demonstrated, enabling accurate source apportionment.

Conclusions:

• The developed drone-MS system provides a novel solution for real-time, high-resolution monitoring of complex VOCs in the air.
• This technology effectively addresses the challenge of characterizing VOCs and their distributions, offering new possibilities for air quality management.
• The system facilitates accurate source apportionment and spatial mapping, crucial for environmental and health impact assessments.