Evaluation of the Commercial Electrochemical Gas Sensors for the Monitoring of CO in Ambient Air

Air pollution is a growing concern of civilized world, which has a significant impact on human health and the environment. Recent studies highlight that the exposure to polluted air can increase the incidence of diseases and deteriorate the quality of life. Hence, it is necessary to develop tools for real-time air quality monitoring. For air pollution monitoring a wide range of stationary gas and particulate analysers can be used. However, such instruments are relatively large, heavy and expensive. Only governments, local authorities and major industries can afford to use such devices. Instruments based on low cost gas sensors can be interesting and promising alternative. However, real-life usage of gas sensors in monitoring outdoor air is connected with several challenges, such as temperature or humidity changes affecting sensor response. In this study, a laboratory evaluation of commercially available electrochemical gas sensors for the monitoring of CO in ambient air is presented. Six commercial electrochemical CO sensors were tested simultaneously under controlled gas concentrations and various environmental conditions.