Anagrafe della ricerca

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can be dangerous to human health and cause damage to the environment by altering the chemistry of the atmosphere and contributing to the production of other pollutants. Measurements of VOCs are complex because of their variety, different physical and chemical properties and very low concentration levels in the atmosphere – less than one part per billion. Stable gas reference standards are difficult to produce because of various physical and chemical interactions between VOCs and the surfaces of storage cylinders. This project will develop traceable and comparable gas reference standards and validate new measurement systems to support atmospheric monitoring for key VOCs in Europe and the rest of the world. The project will focus on measurements of benzene, a harmful air pollutant and carcinogen regulated by the EU Air Quality directive. Novel dynamic generation techniques will also be developed to help guarantee mixture stabilities and improve the preparation of samples for measurement.