Romania uses high-precision robotic systems to measure dust particles in three major cities

Romania will use high-precision robotic equipment to measure airborne dust particles in three major cities, namely Brașov, Timișoara, and Bucharest. These robots will precisely determine the mass fraction of PM10 and PM2.5 particles collected from air quality monitoring stations, eliminating human error, the National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPM) announced.

The first such robot was unveiled on January 22 at the Brașov Environmental Protection Agency (APM) headquarters in the presence of ANPM president Laurențiu Alexandru Păștinaru and vice president Eugen Ioan Cozma. Similar equipment has also been installed in Bucharest and Timișoara, with preparations underway to activate the systems next week.

"European regulations impose clear standards for monitoring and reporting data obtained from air quality monitoring, and these devices, equipped with high-precision technology, will accurately measure the quantities of PM10 and PM2.5 in the air, eliminating any potential weighing errors. The intelligent equipment will analyze filters from all monitoring stations in the respective city and, based on the QR code of each filter, will assign the data precisely to the station where the samples were collected. Furthermore, the devices will be connected to the National Air Quality Monitoring Network and will transmit data with six-decimal precision to the central laboratory of the National Agency for Environmental Protection," stated Păștinaru.

According to specialists, the equipment weighs and records the mass of air filters before they are exposed in monitoring stations, registering them in a database using a QR code. It then reweighs the filters after the exposure period, precisely determining the quantities of PM10 and PM2.5 particles collected from the respective station's area.

In Brașov, where eight automated monitoring stations operate, these advanced devices replace manual methods, ensuring accuracy and consistency in data collection and reporting.

The robotic system includes a climate-controlled cabin, an analytical balance, and an ionizer module, all adhering to SR EN 12341 standards for gravimetric measurement of airborne particles. Parameters such as temperature and humidity are continuously monitored to ensure optimal operating conditions.

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