Development of drone-based filter sampling system for carbonaceous aerosol analysis using thermal–optical transmittance method

Abstract

Application of a drone-based, high-volume (38 L min⁻¹) sampling system developed for time-resolved monitoring of elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC) is demonstrated in this study. Filter samples collected by the samplers were analyzed by a laboratory-based, thermal-optical transmittance (TOT) method of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health using a Sunset Laboratory OC-EC analyzer. The EC, OC, and total carbon (TC) results for filter samples collected by the high-volume (38 L min⁻¹) sampler are compared to those obtained by a low-volume (4 L min⁻¹) sampler at ground level. Prior to the use of the developed high-volume sampler at 150 m, three 30-min air samples, taken from 11:00 to 15:00, and three 1-h samples, taken between 15:00 and 22:00, were collected at ground level by the drone-based system. For reference, the low-volume filter sample was collected over the 12-h period on the same day. In addition, particulate matter and black carbon concentrations were obtained as supportive data. In the ground-level test, the average EC, OC, and TC concentrations determined with the high-volume (drone) samples agree well with those determined with the 12-h, integrated, low-volume sample. Further field samplings on the ground and at 150-m were conducted over 2 days to assess the developed drone-based sampling system for measurement of carbonaceous aerosols. The EC, OC, and TC concentrations at a 150-m altitude were successfully examined via drone-based, high-volume sampling and TOT analysis.

Copyright © 2023 American Association for Aerosol Research

EDITOR:

• Pramod Kulkarni

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. 2019M1A2A2104002, No. 2021R1A4A1032579, and No. 2022R1F1A1063376) and the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), funded by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of the Republic of Korea (NIER-2021-03-03-007).