05
December
2006
|
14:45
Europe/Amsterdam

Pirelli Labs: launch of pollution monitoring with sensors

PIRELLI: LAUNCH OF POLLUTION MONITORING WITH INNOVATIVE SENSORS

In collaboration with CNR, test monitoring in the city of Parma of air quality and levels of electromagnetic and acoustic pollution

Milan, 5 December 2006 - Pirelli Labs, the Pirelli Group's advanced research center, and Istituto sull'Inquinamento Atmosferico (the Institute on Atmospheric Pollution) of the Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche - National Research Center (CNR-IIA), have presented a project for real time monitoring of air quality and of electromagnetic and acoustic pollution levels, to take place in the city of Parma until May, 2007.

The monitoring will be conducted using experimental, innovative technologies and will regard the urban area as well as an area near the A1 highway exit.

In detail, the study will include a mapping of the area, in eight urban posts and two peripheral ones, with miniaturized instruments developed by Pirelli Labs (which integrate up to five oxide semiconductor sensors) capable of detecting and transmitting in real time concentrations of pollutant gases, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxides. CNR will add to these instruments sensors for the measurement of fine dusts, of noise levels, with analysis of frequencies, and of electromagnetic pollution. All of the instruments together will constitute a mini-network linked via GSM to a central server able to make results of the monitoring available in real time.

The test monitoring will be part of a Planning Agreement between CNR-IIA and the Environment Ministry, together with the City of Parma and Pirelli Labs.

This new philosophy of atmospheric and environmental pollution monitoring proposes offering solutions that are complementary to conventional ones, and characterized by a high level of flexibility and usability, in addition to low costs and low invasiveness, while maintaining high quality standards. Thus it will be possible to increase the number and the representative nature of observation points giving those responsible adequate instruments for environmental pollution monitoring in urban centers.