Our expertise for the school project "Breathing air”
2023/04/04
GRIMM AEROSOL supports fine dust investigation of the University of Innsbruck
Hamburg / Ainring, 4th of April, 2023 – As a leading manufacturer of measuring instruments for air quality monitoring the DURAG GROUP wants to create a general awareness of the impact of aerosol particles on climate and human health. Therefore, we support promising research projects with our long-standing expertise in aerosol measurement technology. This includes the "Citizen Science" project "Breathing Air" (in German “Atemluft”) of the Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Innsbruck. The special feature: Students map out the particle number concentration of their environment under different meteorological and seasonal conditions on their own initiative – with mobile sensors attached to their bicycles, for example.
The study focuses on emissions from modern combustion engines that are not equipped with special particulate filters. They emit large numbers of harmful ultrafine particles (UFP) whose surfaces are loaded with toxic compounds. They have only a short lifetime of a few minutes and only occur in large numbers in the immediate vicinity of their sources. Their spatial distribution should therefore be measured in real time with mobile, fast sensors.
The "Breathing Air" project is part of the Austrian science program "Sparkling Science", which promotes cooperation between schools, research institutions and society. It takes place at the WRG Ursulinen school in Innsbruck (Tirol) and in the BORG school in Mittersill (Salzburg); the survey started in January 2023 and is scheduled to run for three years until the end of 2025. GRIMM AEROSOL, a member of the DURAG GROUP, is a proven partner in this process, providing advice and know-how. In this way we support young scientists and provide active assistance in the collection and interpretation of the collected data.
More information about the project can be found here.
