Localised Readings

Existing technology uses large, fixed monitoring stations. Even in heavily-polluted areas, such as cities, these stations can be more than a kilometre apart. However, pollution can be extremely localised (e.g. traffic jams, industrial plants) and therefore it is important to pinpoint it. To do so requires a network of monitoring systems that can provide accurate localised readings in real time.

Thin films of nano-structured semiconductor materials such as tin oxide have been incorporated into small sensors about the size of an coin. These bind atmospheric pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides at levels below EU recommended guidelines, and release them again when the level of pollution drops (so the sensor is re-usable). The binding is detected electrically in real time and this information can be transmitted directly to a central computer for analysis.

In the future it might be possible to incorporate such sensors into mobile devices such as phones and cars to provide even more localised detail.