SCI Kit | Indoor Air Quality Monitor

Introduction:

Did you know that indoor air pollution can be two to five times higher than outdoor pollution? This is because of the various sources of pollutants that are present in our indoor spaces, such as cleaning products, building materials, and even our own activities like cooking and smoking. But don't worry, we can take steps to improve indoor air quality.

In this experiment, you will use a SCI DAQ module with an air quality sensor to measure the levels of pollutants in our indoor spaces in different conditions and take action to reduce them.

Knowledge:

1. Air Quality Sensor

wiki: Gravity: ENS160 Air Quality Sensor

The Air Quality Sensor is specifically designed for indoor air quality monitoring and offers detection of multiple environmental data, such as AQI (Air Quality Index), TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds), and eCO2 (equivalent Carbon Dioxide).

2. AQI

Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of how polluted the air is in a certain area. AQI takes into account the levels of various pollutants such as PM, CO, NO2, O3, and SO2. The higher the AQI score, the more polluted the air is, and the greater the health risk to humans. This sensor will give you the AQI level from 1-5 (Excellent - Extremely Bad).

3. TVOC

Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) are a group of organic chemicals that can be emitted as gases from various sources such as cleaning products, building materials, and furniture. TVOCs can have both short-term and long-term health effects on humans. The unit of TVOC measurement is expressed in parts per billion (ppb)

4. eCO2

Equivalent Carbon Dioxide (eCO2) is a measure of the level of indoor air pollution. If the eCO2 level is high, it means that the air is polluted with VOCs (volatile organic compounds). eCO2 is measured in parts per million (ppm)

Materials:

SCI DAQ Module x 1

SEN0514 Air Quality Sensor x 1

4pin Wire x 1

Type-C Cable or Battery Holder

Incense Sticks (for introducing air pollutants)

Fan (for air circulation)

Setup:

1. Power the SCI module from either battery or Type-C port.

2. Connect the air quality sensor to Port 2. The sensor should be automatically recognized, and the data should be shown on the SCI screen.

Experiment:

To carry out the experiment, we will place the SCI module and sensor in a closed indoor space such as a room or chamber. The space should be free of any sources of outdoor air pollution, such as nearby highways or factories, to ensure that the results reflect indoor air quality only.

Using the air quality sensor, we can measure the levels of pollutants and evaluate air quality in different conditions. We will change the conditions by adding things like incense sticks, cleaning products, and paints to see how they affect the air. Additionally, we can ask a few people to stay in the room for a while to see how their presence affects air quality.

1. Record the baseline values of AQI, TVOC, and eCO2 in the closed indoor space with no pollutants present.

2. Light incense sticks in the closed indoor space to introduce air pollutants.

3. Turn on the fan for air circulation and let it run until the values return to the baseline.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 with different pollution sources or varying numbers of people in the room to create different conditions.

5. Collect the data obtained from the experiment for analysis.

Data Analysis:

Compare the results to the baseline values to determine how each condition affected air quality. Discuss the findings with others and talk about any actions that could be taken to improve indoor air quality.

Conclusion:

Through this experiment, we learned how to use air quality sensors to measure AQI, TVOC, and eCO2 values, which are indicators of air quality. We identified how different sources and conditions can affect air quality. This information can be used to create healthier and more comfortable indoor environments in homes, schools, and workplaces.