A new evaluation method of three different low-cost dust sensors using exponentially decaying particle concentrations

Low-cost optical dust sensors are widely used in air purifiers, air conditioners, and air-quality monitoring networks. However, the quality and reliability of these sensors have always been disputed because a standard calibration method has not been established. Low-cost dust sensors used by researchers are calibrated using the researchers' own methods by applying, for example, a co-location test with reference instruments, a chamber test, or a low-speed duct test. In this study, a test method for the performance evaluation of low-cost sensors was developed using KCl particles with an exponentially decaying particle concentration. With this method, the testing time can be significantly reduced to less than 10 min, and the response characteristics of the sensors to rapidly changing concentrations can be determined. AirAssure from TSI Inc., AirBeam2 from HabitatMap LLC, and DC1100 from Dylos were tested accordingly. The linearities of the measured particulate matter concentrations were significantly good (R2 > 0.95), except for the AirAssure sensors. It was also found that the response characteristics of the sensors depended on the particle concentration decay times.

Automated summary

Low-cost optical dust sensors are commonly used in air purifiers, air conditioners, and air-quality monitoring networks. However, their quality and reliability have always been debated due to the lack of a standardized calibration method. In this study, a test method using exponentially decaying particle concentration was developed to evaluate the performance of low-cost sensors. The sensors' response characteristics to rapidly changing concentrations could be determined with this method.