JOSÉ ÁLVARO VIDAL MIDDLE SCHOOL
1 – Students in the Project
The work about the air quality was done through the direct analysis of it, using digital
sensors, particle collectors made by ourselves and through the observation of lichens
and moss.
DIRECT ANALYSIS TO THE AIR
1-USING DIGITAL SENSORS
1.1.-AIR QUALITY IN OUTSIDE SPACES
During the period of 21ST January to 15th March, we made regular/ several
measurements to the air using digital sensors of CO2, CO, VOC, particles, humidity
and temperature.
This work was done in four different places:
Place one- Near the main road
Place two– In the football field (near the main road)
Place three - In the back part of school (near the School garden)
Place four – Near the school gym
The measurements were always made at the same time of the morning and of the
afternoon, twice a week. To minimize the error, the work was always done by the same
group of students.
We collected date, made graphical and data analysis.
2 – Annotating the results of the measurements
C O 2 ( ppm
pa rt S pe r
m illio n)
AVERAGE VALUES OF CARBON DIOXIDE
600
500
m ain road
foot. Field
400
s. garden
300
near gym
200
Graphical 1 – Average values of CO2 measured in the morning
100
21.
01
25.
01
28.
01
01.
02
15.
02
18.
02
22.
02
25.
02
01.
03
08.
03
11.
03
15.
03
0
Tim e
CO2 (ppm )
600
500
m ain road
400
Footb.field
s. garden
300
near gym
200
100
11
.03
25
.02
18
.02
11
.02
28
.01
0
21
.01
Graphical 2 – Average values of CO2
measured in the afternoon
Tim e
AVERAGE VALUES OF CARBON MONOXIDE
CO (ppm)
4
3
Main road
Graphical 3 – Average values of CO
measured in the morning
Footb.field
2
S.Garden
Near Gym
1
15.
03
08.
03
25.
02
18.
02
11.
02
28.
01
21.
01
0
TIME
CO (ppm)
4
3
Main Road
Footb.field
2
Graphical 4- Average values of CO
measured in the afternoon
S.Garden
Near gym
1
15.
03
08.
03
25.
02
18.
02
11.
02
28.
01
21.
01
0
Tim e
AVERAGE VALUES OF PARTICLES
• Particles with dimensions between 0,3 and 3 micron/ l of air
Num ber of
paríc./ L of air
500000
450000
400000
350000
Main Road
300000
Foot. Field
250000
S.Garden
200000
Near Gym
150000
100000
50000
08
.03
15
.03
25
.02
01
.02
21
.01
0
Tim e
Graphical 5 – Average values of particles with
dimensions below 3 micron. Measurements
made in the morning
Nº. Particles/L of air
500000
450000
400000
350000
Main road
300000
Footb.field
250000
200000
S.Garden
Near Gym
150000
100000
50000
Graphical 6 – Average values of particles
with dimensions below 3 micron.
Measurements made in the afternoon.
8.0
3
11
.03
15
.03
21
.01
25
.01
28
.01
1.0
2
22
.02
25
.02
0
Tim e
• Particles with dimensions above 3 micron / l of air
Nºparticles L
of air
2000
1800
1600
1400
Main road
1200
footb.Field
1000
S.Garden
800
Near Gym
600
400
200
Graphical 7 – Average values of particles with
dimensions above 3 micron Measurements made
in the morning.
21.
01
28.
01
01.
02
18.
02
22.
03
25.
02
01.
03
08.
03
11.
03
15.
03
0
tim e
NºPart./ L of air
2000
1800
.
1600
1400
Main Road
1200
Footb.field
1000
S.Garden
800
Near Gym
600
400
200
21.
01
25.
01
28.
01
01.
02
15.
02
18.
02
22.
02
25.
02
08.
03
11.
03
15.
03
0
Tim e
Graphical 8 – Average values of particles with
dimensions above 3 micron. Measurements made
in the afternoon
OTHER INFORMATIONS
•
•
•
The measurements of COV always indicated zero (0).
Concerning humidity , the values were always superiors in the places 3 and 4
(School Garden and near the Gym)
Concerning temperature and comparing the values measured in the morning
and in the afternoon, in the four different places, we verified that the values
were always lower in the places 3 and 4. These two places have more plants
(vegetation) that anyone of the others.
1.2 – QUALITY OF AIR INSIDE A CLASSROOM
Profiting the sensors of CO2, CO, Temperature and Humidity, that we still had in
school, we decided to evaluate the quality of the air inside a classroom The room in
question has a very good air ventilation, however in the day of the measurements we
avoid to open windows and the door was open only for the entrance and way out of
students and teachers. The aim of this procedure was to simulate an environment with
a deficient air circulation.
Outside the classroom (street
Inside the classroom
air)
Morning
13:30 pm
8:30 H am
13:30 H pm
CO (ppm)
Weren’t
1
1
1
CO2 (ppm)
made
586
808
1192
Temperature
any
26.6
26.2
27.5
ºC
measurements
35
46.1
46.6
Humid. Rel. %
NOTE: The door of the classroom gives to an hall and the windows face a secondary
road that is the only access to a subway park for cars.
1.3 – INFORMATIONS AND REFERENCE VALUES (Bibliographic research)
•
•
Average values of CO2 between 250 and 350 parts per million, are considered
normal for the outside air (NORMA ASHRAE 62-1989)
The values of CO2 inside the buildings are generally superior to those we find in
the outside air. If the average values of CO2 inside a building are superior to
1000 ppm, it means the circulation of air is inadequate. In this case many people
can complain with headache, fatigue, or problems in the eyes or throat.
Average values of CO2 equal or superior to1000 ppm, inside a building, in the
afternoon, means it’s necessary to ventilate the area.
•
Inside the buildings (interior air) ,the maximum value we can accept for the CO
is 9ppm (NORMA ASHRAE 62-1989)
•
When we study the pollution of the air by particles, it’s important to considerer
their
dimensions,
chemical
composition
and
shape.
Concerning the dimensions of the particles it’s important to know that:
- Particles with dimensions superior to 100 micron, fall due to the gravity of the
earth, since they are emitted from the source.
- Particles with dimensions superior to 10 micron, when breathed do not go to
the lungs, and can easily be expelled from the body. Particles with dimensions
inferior to10 micron cannot be filtrated by the nose or the throat. The cilium of
the trachea captures and expels some of these particles. Particles with
dimensions inferior to 4 micron can go to the blood.
Main sources of the particles with dimensions equal or inferior to 4 micron are
those who are related to the combustion of the fossil combustibles (industrial
activities and traffic among others)
Some respirable particles come directly from the source, but others are the result
of transformations that occurs in the air with some gases and other compounds.
•
•
•
ESA – European Space Agency is monitoring with satellites some areas affected
by dust storms (Project EPIDEMIO). Scientists think that dryness and dust
makes mucus membranes render more vulnerable to bacterial infection.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS
-Comparing the average values of the CO2 in the outside air to the reference value, we can see
that there is an excess of CO2, what means pollution. We can also see that the higher level of CO2
was measured near the main road.
- Concerning the average values of particles independently of their size and of the places of the
measurements, we were surprised with the enormous amount.
-We think there was an error with the measurements of the particles: 11st March-particles with
dimensions superiors to 3 micron/measured in the school garden; 28th January – particles with
dimensions between 0,3 and 3 micron/measured near the Gym .We think that there was an error
because we have no registration of anomalies that might have been responsible for those values.
-Comparing the number of particles with dimensions below the 3 micron to the number of
particles with greater dimensions, we can see that the first come in a higher number, which means
that we breath them and that some of them can even circulate in our blood.
-We tried to relate the average values of CO2, CO and particles with the values of humidity and
temperature in the four different places of study but we couldn’t find a pattern that might allow
us conclusions
2-HANDMADE PARTICLES COLLETORS
We built two different kinds of particles collectors: Collectors with vaseline and
collectors with bottle lids (obstacles)
COLECTORS WITH VASELINE
The aim of this work was to observe air particles and compare the number of particles in
the different collectors (filters).To built this collectors we fallowed the instructions of
the lieder school.
•
•
The collectors were placed in the building of the school, on a lamp near the
main road and over the main road on a kind of bridge that is used by the people
to cross the road.
In the building school, some of the collectors were facing the main road and
others were on a side wall of the building. The collectors were placed at two
different highs.
COLLECTORS WITH BOTTLE LIDS
With this kind of collectors we wanted to know the importance of the obstacles in the
deposition of air particles.
•
The collectors were placed in the exterior walls of the school building.
3– Using bottle lids in the construction of particle collectors
After one week of experience all of the collectors were observed in the school
laboratory with a stereoscopic.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS
-
We observed different types of particles (different shapes, dimension and kinds). We
identified insects and what seems to be dust from the rocks and pollen grains.
The amount of particles was also different. The collectors facing the main road
presented a higher number of particles than the others.
The collectors that were on a higher level presented a lower concentration of particles
than the ones on a lower level.
The particle collectors with the bottle lids allowed us to observe the importance of the
obstacles in the deposition of particles (different deposition of particles under and
above the bottle lid)
WORK WITH LICHEN AND MOSS
Lichens and moss are organisms that according to its tolerance to
substances that pollute the air, allow us to evaluate its quality.
The observation of lichen and moss was made in olive groves of six
different places (in Alverca, near school and in other five surrounding
places) . In the field we observed lichens and moss, collected some samples
and observed them in school laboratory using a stereoscopic. The
identification of the genus and species, due to the complexity of the work,
was done by Botanic Specialist, Dr.César Garcia from the Faculdade de
Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa. After the identification of the different
specimens, we made several researches and ended up knowing that the
organisms in study indicate that the observed areas 8envolving school)
were typical urban places rich in SO2 and other substances originated from
industries and traffic.
4- Observing lichen and moss on olive tree
A-dos- Potes
Locais de observação
Bom Sucesso
Alverca
Sobralinho
líquenes e briófitos
Syntrychia laevipila (Briófito)
x
x
Physcia sp.
x
x
x
x
Xanthoria parietina
x
x
x
x
Lecanora spp.
x
x
Diploicia canescens
x
x
Lepraria
x
x
Schismatomma decolorans
x
x
Pertusaria amara
x
x
Orthotrichum diaphanum
x
x
Lichen and moss of four different places.
All of the experiences we made allowed us to know better the air we
breathe and how dangerous it might be for the different kinds of life. We
also answered the questions (problems) we made in the beginning of the
project.