Performance Evaluation of Real-time DustTrak Monitors for Outdoor Particulate Mass Measurements in a Desert Environment

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the TSI DustTrak DRX^® aerosol monitor against the filter-based gravimetric method and establish suitable correction factors in the real-world operating conditions for bias correction of this real-time monitor. Overall, the DustTrak DRX monitor demonstrated high precision but significant deviation from the reference method in measuring PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations. DustTrak DRX overestimated PM_2.5 mass concentration by a factor of 2 and underestimated PM₁₀ concentrations by about 20% compared to the gravimetric method. The acceptable correction accuracy of DustTrak measurements was obtained by a constant-proportion correction; however, the humidity-adjusted correction resulted in better measurement correction. The identified correction factors can be used for bias correction of the DustTrak monitors in a similar environment with similar aerosol properties to obtain more accurate aerosol measurements. The proposed correction models in this study could also guide other studies using various types of real-time optical monitors for their accurate field calibration and measurement data correction.