System to control indoor air quality in energy efficient buildings

• A system to control indoor air quality was designed, fabricated and tested.
• Conductometric sensors based on nanostructured ZnO was developed for the system.
• A fluidic unit was developed to improve the performance of the sensors.
• Field studies in buildings by analytical methods were carried out prior to future tests with the developed prototype.

The objective of the work described in this paper is to develop a device to monitor air quality in indoor environments integrating three conductometric gas sensors based on thin film and nanostructured metal oxide semiconductors (SnO2, NiO and ZnO). The sensors are incorporated into a single robust, reliable and cheap detection platform, which includes air pre-conditioning and electronics. The main aim of the device is to integrate with HVAC (Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning) in an energy-efficient way whilst maintaining a high air quality standard within the building. Due to the lack of common EU legislation, the target gases and detection limits have been set after reviewing the literature and the recommendations of different agencies in Europe and the US, focusing on indoor Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).