#Industry News
Indoor Air Quality Solutions with Electrochemical Gas Sensors
Indoor air quality detection using solid polymer electrochemical gas sensors - reliable monitoring solutions
What is Indoor Air Quality Detection with Electrochemical Gas Sensors?
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of the air within and around buildings and structures, such as homes, schools, offices and other indoor environments. It specifically focuses on factors that affect human health and well-being.
In Europe, people nowadays spend approximately 90% of their lifetime indoors. Depending on their age and level of activity, each person inhales 10–20 m³ of air per day, amounting to around 12–24 kg in mass—significantly more than the quantity of food and water consumed. This highlights the importance of indoor air quality for overall health.
IAQ plays a crucial role in determining the health, comfort and overall well-being of the building occupants. Poor IAQ, often caused by indoor air pollutants such as chemicals, allergens, mold and insufficient ventilation, can lead to a range of health problems, including respiratory issues, headaches, fatigue and long-term illnesses. Ensuring good indoor air quality is vital for maintaining a healthy living and working environment, especially in spaces where people spend extended periods of time such as homes, offices and schools. Regular monitoring, adequate ventilation and the use of air purification systems are key measures to improve IAQ and reduce associated health risks.
Health Risks Caused by Polluted Indoor Air
Understanding and managing common indoor pollutants is essential for minimizing health risks. Exposure to indoor air pollutants can lead to health effects that may appear either shortly after exposure or develop over time.
Immediate health effects from exposure to pollutants include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. These symptoms may occur shortly after being exposed to poor indoor air quality and are often temporary, but they can significantly impact well-being and daily function.
Prolonged exposure to indoor pollutants can result in more serious health conditions. Long-term effects may include cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses such as asthma and lung cancer. These conditions can develop gradually, often going unnoticed until they become severe.
To reduce the risk of both immediate and long-term health problems, it is important to take steps to manage indoor air quality. This includes using appropriate ventilation, minimizing the use of harmful chemicals and employing air quality monitoring systems that detect pollutants in real time.
Which Indoor Air Quality Pollution Gases are in the Air?
Indoor air can contain several harmful gases that contribute to poor air quality. One of the most common is Carbon Monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas produced by smoke, vehicle exhausts, stoves, and fireplaces. High levels of CO can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Formaldehyde (HCHO) is another common pollutant released from furniture, paints, pressed wood products, and during burning processes. Exposure to formaldehyde can cause respiratory irritation and pose long-term health risks.
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is emitted from welding, smoke, and unvented combustion sources. It can worsen respiratory conditions and damage the lungs over time. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), often released by electric utilities and industrial processes, can infiltrate indoor spaces and contribute to respiratory issues, especially in areas near industrial activity. Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), generated from the degradation of organic biomass, can cause anything from mild irritation to severe respiratory distress depending on exposure levels.
Ozone (O3) is commonly generated indoors by air purifiers, printers, and ozone generators, and can also come from outdoor ambient ozone. Although ozone is used in disinfection processes, high levels of exposure can irritate the respiratory system. Lastly, Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) are chemicals emitted by furniture, office equipment, paints, and cleaning products. Long-term exposure to TVOCs can cause headaches, dizziness, and even more serious health issues, including damage to the liver, kidneys, or central nervous system.
Taking proactive steps to reduce the presence of these gases and improve indoor air quality is critical for lowering the risk of both immediate and long-term health problems.
Which Choices are available for Indoor Air Quality Detection Solutions?
EC Sense offers advanced indoor air quality gas sensors and sensor modules designed to detect various harmful gases including NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide), CO (Carbon Monoxide), SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide), O3 (Ozone), TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) and the overall Outdoor Air Quality.
These sensors are highly sensitive, with a lower detectable limit of 1 ppb/1 µg/m³ and fast response times. They are compact, long-lasting (over 3 years), require no warm-up time and exhibit no zero line drift.
The solid polymer electrochemical gas sensor together with a PCB creates an easy-to-use solution. The gas sensor modules feature multi-parameter detection, measuring gas, temperature and humidity. They offer digital signal output via UART (TTL 3.3 V) or I2C and are energy-efficient with low power consumption and sleep mode, making them ideal for battery-powered and IoT applications. These modules operate in a wide temperature range from -40 °C to +55 °C.
Which Solutions can EC Sense offer for Indoor Air Quality?
The TB600B Gas Sensor Module, available with UART and I2C outputs, includes variants like TB600B-NO2 (detects up to 2 ppm), TB600B-SO2 (detects up to 5 ppm) TB600B-H2S (detects up to 2 ppm), TB600B-O3 (detects up to 5 ppm), TB600B-CO (detects up to 10 ppm), TB600B-TVOC (detects up to 10 ppm), TB600B-HCHO (detects up to 5 ppm), and TB600B-IAQ (measures up to 10 ppm). The DGM10 Dual Gas Sensor Module, with UART, I2C, and SPI outputs, allows combining two gases for detection from options including H2S (2 ppm), SO2 (5 ppm), TVOC (10 ppm), HCHO (5 ppm), CO (10 ppm), NO2 (2 ppm), O3 (5 ppm), and IAQ (10 ppm).
EC Sense products are typically used in air purification systems, indoor air quality monitoring setups, HVAC systems and air quality warning systems.
Which Technology makes EC Sense Sensors special?
The EC Sense solid polymer electrochemical technology is a revolutionary innovation in the field of electrochemical detection. This technology is based on the principle of electrochemical catalytic reaction, detecting the output signals of the electrochemical reactions of different gases and accurately measuring the gas concentration through the signal. The sensor is composed of three electrodes in contact with the electrolyte. A typical electrode consists of a large surface area of noble metal and other materials. The electrode, electrolyte and the surrounding air are in contact and the gas diffuses into the working electrode. Here the gas will be oxidized, this causes a current, which is proportional to the gas concentration.
