Real-time air quality monitoring in school environments in the city of Ribeirão Preto using low-cost sensors connected to a data management remote platform

• Grant number: 24/06422-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Murilo Daniel de Mello Innocentini
• Grantee: Nilo Henrique Meira Fortes
• Host Institution: Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP). Campus Ribeirão Preto. Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the perception of humanity about the indoor air quality. School buildings are critical places in terms of air quality, as children and teenagers spend 65 to 90% of their time inside classrooms with many people. Monitoring air quality parameters and implementing good ventilation practices are measures that can improve the air quality of the school environment. In this context, the objective of this research project is to monitor air quality in municipal schools in Ribeirão Preto and establish measures to improve air quality in classrooms. The reduction in air quality in the city during periods of sugarcane burning is a factor that makes it necessary to monitor air quality parameters such as levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and particulate matter, as well as temperature and relative humidity. Low-cost sensors will be used to measure the defined parameters and grouped into a device for simultaneous measurement every 5 minutes. The data will be monitored in real-time on a digital platform and a team of indoor air quality specialists will analyze the collected data. The devices will be installed in classrooms and in the outdoor environment of schools (reference for external air), so that real-time monitoring will allow measures to improve air quality. At the moment, this project has a partnership with the Fernando Pessoa University of Portugal and the support of the Municipal Government of Ribeirão Preto through an agreement between the environmental department and the University of Ribeirão Preto, facilitating the access to schools of the city for the implementation of the project.