Innovation: ENEA patents device to monitor air pollutants

ENEA has developed an innovative electronic device that measures gaseous air pollutants in real time. In addition to measuring the concentrations of gases dispersed in the atmosphere, it enables continuous monitoring of air quality and the calibration or recalibration of electrochemical gas sensors.

Characterized by the highest technology readiness level (TRL 9), it consists of an electronic board and at least one electrochemical sensor that generates a signal in the presence of gas.

“Unlike commonly used devices, the one we have developed allows for the simultaneous use of up to four sensors at a time and enables their calibration without relying on the recalibration services offered by sensor manufacturers” explained the patent’s inventor, Domenico Suriano, an ENEA researcher at the Air Quality Models and Measurements Laboratory within the Sustainability Department at the Brindisi Research Center.

The simultaneous use of sensors and the ability to recalibrate them without modifying the circuit’s electronic components—a key feature of the new device—saves both time and money.

“The originality of the invention lies in the structure and configuration of the analog electronics block combined with the digital block on the same board substrate” emphasized Suriano. “It allows the sensor to be recalibrated without altering the circuit type or replacing the electronic components that define the two essential parameters: namely, the setting of the amplification level of the sensor’s output electrical currents and the setting of the sensor’s electronic zero level” concluded Suriano.

The device’s capabilities were tested in collaboration with Arpa Puglia and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (Varese).