Page 31 - Climate Control News May 2022

Indoor Air Quality
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Tools for modelling indoor pollutants
TOOLS THAT CAN produce accurate models of indoor air quality are to be designed in a pro- ject led by the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
The new project which is known as the In- door Air Quality Emissions & Modelling Sys- tem (IAQ-EMS), is funded by the Met Office and UK Research and Innovation through the Stra- tegic Priorities Fund.
It aims to increase the understanding of in- door air pollutants and enable people planning or assessing an indoor space to build an accu- rate picture of the likely sources, levels and risks of pollutants.
“RESEARCHERS WILL CREATE AN INVENTORY OF INDOOR POLLUTANTS.”
While significant progress has been made in measuring outdoor air quality, the indoor envi- ronment poses additional challenges with mul- tiple pollution sources, different sized spaces, and varying levels of ventilation.
In its first phase, researchers will take high-performance mobile air quality measur- ing instruments to different sites in the re- gion and create a detailed inventory of indoor
pollutants. These include cleaning products, pollution from cooking and heating, and vola- tile organic compounds given off by carpets or furniture.
Once this is completed, the team will start to describe the distribution of pollutants, model how they break down in the environ- ment and get dispersed throughout an in- door space.
A range of environments will be modelled, from residential spaces to offices, schools, care homes and transport spaces.
Met Office senior project manager for clean air, Sarah Gooding, said the university will lead a consortium of researchers to facilitate inves- tigation into indoor air emissions and the cor- relation with outdoor air quality.
“This is of particular importance as we try to further understand our exposure to harmful pollutants in both the indoor and outdoor envi- ronments,” she said.
“This work will further our knowledge of the effects of indoor air emissions and possi- ble strategies to mitigate against their harm- ful effects.
“It will also enable people to undertake changes to promote a cleaner living environ- ment and better air quality, helping to improve health.”
The three-year project also includes col- laborators from the University of Reading, Cranfield University and the University of California. ✺
A consortium of researchers will investigate indoor air emissions.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS
MAY 2022
31