Project: Metrology for VOC indicators in air pollution and climate change

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can be dangerous to human health and cause damage to the environment by altering the chemistry of the atmosphere and contributing to the production of other pollutants. Measurements of VOCs are complex because of their variety, different physical and chemical properties and very low concentration levels in the atmosphere – less than one part per billion. Stable gas reference standards are difficult to produce because of various physical and chemical interactions between VOCs and the surfaces of storage cylinders. This project will develop traceable and comparable gas reference standards and validate new measurement systems to support atmospheric monitoring for key VOCs in Europe and the rest of the world. The project will focus on measurements of benzene, a harmful air pollutant and carcinogen regulated by the EU Air Quality directive. Novel dynamic generation techniques will also be developed to help guarantee mixture stabilities and improve the preparation of samples for measurement.

Acronym ENV56 KEY-VOCs (Reference Number: ENV56)
Duration 01/10/2014 - 30/09/2017
Project Topic Metrology
Project Results
(after finalisation)
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Website visit project website
Network EMRP
Call EMRP Call 2013 - Energy and Environment

Project partner

Number Name Role Country
1 VSL B.V. Coordinator Netherlands
2 Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung Partner Germany
3 Cesky Metrologicky Institut Partner Czech Republic
4 Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica Partner Italy
5 JRC - Joint Research Centre - European Commission Partner Belgium
6 Laboratoire national de métrologie et d'essais Partner France
7 Eidgenössisches Institut für Metrologie METAS Partner Switzerland
8 NPL Management Limited Partner United Kingdom
9 Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Partner Germany
10 Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu Partner Türkiye
11 Deutscher Wetterdienst Germany
12 Politecnico di Torino Italy