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The experiments being run as part of the IMPeCCABLE project take place at all of the partner institutions. Each university provides different spaces for doing cooking and cleaning tests, and various pieces of equipment can be moved around between sites using the Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories (WACL) van.
The experiments undertaken range from benchtop experiments in a lab to determine specific emission rates from individual products or processes, right through to more realistic settings where full meals are cooked in a more home-like environment. Measurements are taken using both on- and off-line diagnostics, to determine types and quantities of various indoor pollutants. Below are some of the settings where experimental campaigns take place as part of the IMPeCCABLE project.
DOMestic Systems and Technology InCubator (DOMESTIC) Facility
DOMESTIC is an IMPeCCABLE facility, funded by the University of Chester. It is a 20 ft ISO container that has been fitted out with a small kitchen and can be used for monitoring the chemistry that results from various activities in an indoor space, such as cooking and cleaning.
University of Nottingham - Test Pods
The Test Pods at the University of Nottingham are small buildings built to current building standards. In this facility the effects of different surface finishes (such as the types of flooring and wall covering) and furnishings on the secondary chemistry can be investigated. For example, standardised cooking and cleaning experiments can be performed in the Pods, while the finishes and furnishings can be varied between experiments. The chemical emissions and time-evolved concentrations can be measured experimentally then modelled, with the aim of determining the extent of the effects of surface finish on the production of potentially harmful secondary chemistry.
The WACL Air Sampling Platform (WASP)
For each of the experimental campaigns, a mobile laboratory in the form of the WASP, is taken to each site. WASP belongs to the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and is based at the University of York. On board, the WASP has a Selected-Ion Flow-Tube Mass Spectrometer (SIFT-MS) for characterising volatile organic compounds, as well as an Ultra-Portable Greenhouse Gas Analyser for measuring carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour. Together, this equipment provides portable, high-resolution trace-gas analysis.
Diagram of the WACL van taken from Wagner, R. L., et al. Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6083-2021, 2021.
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