Development of an automated instrument for real-time, on-site qualitative analysis of full-range breathable airborne particles, including nanoparticles, using XRD technology

The main objective of the Nanoair project is to develop a mobile instrument for qualitative and quantitative analysis of breathable particles. Measurements will be collected continuously in real-time, and fast data processing will facilitate the utilization of an alarm function for critical monitoring tasks and in emergency situations.

The Nanoair project will primarily impact on the market for Occupational Air Quality Detection services provided to various industries and sectors such as construction sites, powder industries, recycling stations, mining, hospitals and airports. The project will also impact on the equipment supply chain for the air measurement service sector primarily for high tech XRD parts and high tech particulate matter handling parts, of which there are estimated 400 SMEs in Europe. In the longer term, during post-project market introduction, we expect a large number of SME dominated sectors to generate significant benefits from this technology. For companies working with particulate matter the new instrument will provide an efficient tool to analyze and characterize particulate matter both for work-place monitoring and process control applications in real-time with previously unseen quality. For the secondary market, this includes the indoor air quality monitoring and industrial air quality control sectors.