CRITICAL REVIEW OF INNOVATIVE AND CLASSICAL METHODS FOR ANALYZING NITROGEN OXIDES IN AMBIENT AIR

Venera-Stanca NICOLICI, Ahmed ADJAL, Ioana IONEL

Abstract


This study presents a comparative critical analysis of reference and alternative standard methods for ambient nitrogen oxides (NOx) measurement. It systematically evaluates established techniques, such as chemiluminescence, alongside emerging alternatives including spectroscopic sensors and passive sampling devices. The paper highlights the strengths and limitations of each method, focusing on their metrological performance, cost-effectiveness, and operational practicality within large-scale monitoring networks. Findings reveal a key trade-off between the uncompromising accuracy of reference methods and the broader feasibility of alternative approaches. Ultimately, this analysis provides a framework for selecting the most suitable methodology based on monitoring objectives, resource availability, and required data quality.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Air Quality database Updates 2024 (Version Sixth), Released on 31 Jan 2024 – 6th edition (V6.1).

Tabuchi, H., Ewing, J., Apuzzo, M., 6 Volkswagen Executives Charged as Company Pleads Guilty in Emissions Case, The New York Times, 11 January 2017.

https://www.egu.eu/, accessed 3 June 2025

https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories/air-pollutant-emissions-trends-data, accessed 3 June 2025

Air pollution in Europe — 2025 reporting status under the National Emission reduction Commitments Directive, EEA, 27 June 2025.

https://www.iso.org/standards.html, accessed 6 June 2025.

https://www.en-standard.eu/, accessed 6 June 2025.

https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/, accessed 6 June 2025.

https://www.astm.org/, accessed 6 June 2025

https://magazin.asro.ro/, accessed 6 June 2025.

EN 14211 Ambient air - Standard method for the measurement of the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide by chemiluminescence, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, 2024.

ISO 7996:1985 Ambient air — Determination of the mass concentration of nitrogen oxides — Chemiluminescence method, International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 1985.

ISO 6768:1998 Ambient air — Determination of mass concentration of nitrogen dioxide — Modified Griess-Saltzman method, International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 1988.

EN 14792 Stationary source emissions. Determination of mass concentration of nitrogen oxides. Standard reference method. Chemiluminescence, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, 1988.

Appendix F to Part 50—Measurement Principle and Calibration Procedure for the Measurement of Nitrogen Dioxide in the Atmosphere (Gas Phase Chemiluminescence), The National Archives and Records Administration of the USA, 25 November 1971.

ISO 11564:1998 Stationary source emissions — Determination of the mass concentration of nitrogen oxides — Naphthylethylenediamine photometric method, International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 1998.

CEN/TS 17660-1 Air quality. Performance evaluation of air quality sensor systems Gaseous pollutants in ambient air, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, 2021.

ASTM D8406-22 Standard Practice for Performance Evaluation of Ambient Outdoor Air Quality Sensors and Sensor-based Instruments for Portable and Fixed-point Measurement, Advancing Standards Transforming Markets, USA, 2022.

ASTM D8559-24 Standard Specification for Ambient Outdoor Air Quality Sensors and Sensor-Based Instruments for Portable and Fixed-Point Measurement, Advancing Standards Transforming Markets, USA, 2024.

EN 16253 Air quality - Atmospheric measurements near ground with active Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) - Ambient air and diffuse emission measurements, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, 2013.

EN 16339:2025 Ambient air. Method for the determination of the concentration of nitrogen dioxide by diffusive sampling, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, 2013.

ISO 10849 Stationary source emissions — Determination of the mass concentration of nitrogen oxides in flue gas — Performance characteristics of automated measuring systems, International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 2022

ASTM D6348-12 Standard Test Method for Determination of Gaseous Compounds by Extractive Direct Interface Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Advancing Standards Transforming Markets, USA, 2020.

EN 14793 Stationary source emissions - Demonstration of equivalence of an alternative method with a reference method, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, 2017.

CWA 17934 Real drive test method for collecting vehicle interior air quality data, European Committee for Standardization, 2022

Gilliam, J.H., Hall, E.S., Reference and Equivalent Methods Used to Measure National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Criteria Air Pollutants - Volume I, Office of Research and Development National Exposure Research Laboratory, p. 65-76, EPA/600/R-16/139, June 2016, www.epa.gov

Saltzman, B. E., Colorimetric Microdetermination of Nitrogen Dioxide in Atmosphere, ACS Publications, Analytical Chemistry Vol 26/Issue 12, December 1, 1954.

Platt, U., Air Monitoring by Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy, Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry, Online ISBN: 9780470027318, 2025.

Harris, D.C., Quantitative Chemical Analysis (10th ed.), W.H. Freeman and Company, Chapter 18, 2022.

Pickvance C., Four Varieties of Comparative Analysis, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 16, pp. 7-28. 10.1023/A:1011533211521, 2001.

Bolbakov R., Sinitsyn A., Tsvetkov V., Methods of comparative analysis, Conference Series. 1679. 052047. 10.1088/1742-6596/1679/5/052047, Journal of Physics, 2020.

Ellison S. L. R., Williams A., Quantifying Uncertainty in Analytical Measurement, Eurachem/CITAC guide QUAM: 2012.P1, Third edition, ISBN 978-0-948926-30-3, 2012.

Kumar, P., Skouloudis, A. N., Bell, M., Viana, M., Carotta, M. C., Biskos, G., Morawska, L., Real-time sensors for indoor air monitoring and challenges ahead in deploying them to urban buildings, Science of The Total Environment, Elsevier, 2016.

Snyder, E.G., Watkins, T.H., Solomon, P.A., Thoma, E.D., Williams, R.W., Hagler, G.S., Preuss, P.W., The changing paradigm of air pollution monitoring, Environmental Science & Technology, Volume 47/20, pp. 11369–11377, 2013.

Castell, N., Dauge, F. R., Schneider, P., Vogt, M., Lerner, U., Fishbain, B., Broday, D., Bartonova, A., Can commercial low-cost sensor platforms contribute to air quality monitoring and exposure estimates?, Elsevier, Environment International, Volume 99, pp. 293-302, ISSN 0160-4120, 2017.

Górecki, T., Namieśnik, J., Passive sampling, Elsevier, TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Volume 21/4, pp. 276-291, 2002

Platt, U., Stutz, J., Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy, Springer-Verlag Berlin, ISBN 978-3-662-68637-9, Heidelberg, 2025.

Young, C.J., Zhou, S., Siegel, J.A., Kahan, T.F., Illuminating the dark side of indoor oxidants, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, Volume 21, pp. 1229-1239, 2019.

Zimmerman, N., Presto, A., Kumar, S., Gu, J., Hauryliuk, A., Robinson, E., Robinson, A., A machine learning calibration model using random forests to improve sensor performance for lower-cost air quality monitoring, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 11. 291-313, 2018.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


JOURNAL INDEXED IN :