Standardization of black carbon measurements for air quality and climate modelling (STANBC)
Black carbon (BC) is an air pollutant that affects the climate and has a negative impact on human health. It is produced by incomplete combustion of transportation and other fossil fuels. Although measurement networks have been established to monitor the mass concentration of BC, there are still uncertainties in the traceability of measurements and uniform standards are lacking.
The STANBC project aims to create a uniform measurement framework for the light-absorbing aerosol coefficient and its conversion into the eBC mass concentration. This should improve the traceability and comparability of measurements both within Europe and worldwide.
Together with STANBC partners, TROPOS organized an extensive intercomparison (mid-October to the end of 2023) to standardize BC measurement methods. Existing and new standard procedures were tested, taking into account the operating procedures of different instrument manufacturers. All instruments were simultaneously exposed to the same aerosols in a mixing chamber.
Investigated instruments:
- EC/OC-Analyzers
- Aethalometer
- Single Particle Soot Photometers (SP2)
- Dual-wavelength Photothermal Aerosol Absorption Monitor (PTAAM-2λ)
- Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift Monitore (CAPS)
- Photothermal Interferometry (PTI)