Obviously, this type of analysers do not have the same approvals as the standard analyzers that are installed in the “official” air quality stations, the philosophy is to be complementary to them.
The cost of a complete equivalent station, with all the analysers measuring the same as these nodes, could be more than 200 k€.
Currently, no air quality standard approvals are in place for this type of equipment. CEN Working Group 42 (CEN/TC 264 WG42) has recently published a standard (UNE CEN/TS 17660-1:2021) to define the methodology for testing and classifying “low cost” pollutant gas sensors into three groups according to their accuracy. bettair® engineers have acted as consultants in the development of these standards, and it is likely that these nodes will be the first to obtain these approvals. There is also a guide developed by the US EPA which, along the same lines, provides criteria for evaluating these devices.
The bettair® node has obtained the UK Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTS) certification for equipment for particulate measurement.
During the last few years, bettair® nodes have participated in many intercomparisons carried out by independent entities, obtaining the best results in the market. Some of them have been carried out by the Cambridge University (UK) and by the certification services Swiss multinational company SGS, following the US EPA recommendations for this type of tests on field.
To corroborate all this, bettair® also participated in the AIRLAB Microsensors Challenge 2023, considered the most exhaustive test in existence. These tests have been carried out by comparing the devices for months with reference equipment in France and Thailand simultaneously, and bettair® nodes have been proclaimed the most accurate device in the world.
