THE EUPHORE SIMULATION CHAMBERS
A shared research platform to study
atmospheric processes
20 years of international cooperation
M. Ródenas, A. Muñoz & EUPHORE Team
Fundación CEAM, Valencia-Spain
[email protected]
EGU, Wien - 2017
EUROCHAMP-2020 project
 Integrates the most advanced European atmospheric simulation chambers for research and
innovation purposes
 Improvement of facilities and of standard protocols for working procedures, data generation
and analysis
 Improved services for users
 Cooperation with the private sector
 Development of scientific instruments and technologies
 Trans-national access to chambers and calibration centres
What can be studied?
ATMOSPHERIC
CHEMISTRY
Effects on the climate,
vegetation and health
Study of physical-chemical processes
Emissions
Atmospheric persistence
Fate of biogenic / anthropogenic compounds
Reaction processes
Degradation products
Diurnal
Nocturnal
Simulation chambers: From the lab to the environment
 Controlled atmospheric scenarios
 Single compounds or complex mixtures
 No transport process
 Intercomparison/development of
instruments/methods
 Assessment of interferences
Lab scale/small chamber :
Laboratory
 Design
 Small reactors
High concentrations
 High S/V
High wall effect
 Artificial light
Unrealistic conditions
High volume chamber: recommended
 Laboratory scale
 Large volumes
Low concentrations
 Simulation chambers
 Low S/V
Low wall effect
 Models
 Natural sunlight
Realistic conditions
 Field campaigns
Atmosphere
EUPHORE description
EUPHORE is one of the major research platforms in Europe with outstanding analytical instruments
to investigate chemical processes in the troposphere, simulating realistic conditions
Diurnal reactions
Nighttime
reactions
Photo-oxidation,
Photolysis
Reactions with ozone
USES
 Mechanism under realistic conditions
(sunlight, radical or NOx levels)
 Product studies
 Kinetics and product yields: models
 Particle formation (SOA)
 Intercomparison exercises
 Prototypes development
FEATURES
 Two chambers (200 m3 each)
 Natural sunlight
 Well instrumented
 Air purification
 Cooled floor
 Steel protection covers
 Half-spherical FEP covers
Instrumentation
Gas phase
Particles
Particles
Scope
 Instrument for Pre-normative at the Regional, National and European level:
air quality, study of compounds causing health effects
 Development and calibration of new instrumentation
 Support to other CEAM’s programmes
 Experimental campaigns by external groups (joint projects, external service)
 Interdisciplinary training of young scientists, international dissemination,
exchange of researchers
 Chamber studies and field campaigns (development of sampling methods)
Activities and research lines
Study of the chemical tranformations of the compounds released to the atmosphere and their
impact on the environment
 Atmospheric degradation of plaguicides and their role on the Ozone and aerosol formation
 Study of photocatalytic activity effect (textiles, concretes, etc) on the reduction of air pollutants in
urban areas
 Automobile exhaust fumes and additives
 Open air emission and immission characterization (schools, dumping sites, forest fires ,…)
 Development and improvement of instrumentation and analytical methods
 Photochemical model validation
 Intercomparison campaigns
Main goals achieved
 Center of reference at the European level. EUPHORE is one of the largest research facilities worldwide
for the study of atmospheric chemical processes simulating nearly real conditions
 Participation in more than 20 European projects and 10 National projects, with more than 100
international contracts
 Validation of photochemical models. Improvement of environmental monitoring systems
 More than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers plus book chapters and conference contributions
 Organization of intercomparison of instrumentation campaigns
 Transfer of results: technical seminars; international dissemination
 Visit of more than 250 researchers and students from more than 60 international institutions
Some applications: Photocatalytic studies
 Simulation of typical NOx daily patterns representing
polluted European cities
 Test under typical pollution levels
 Products formation
NOx Concentration
600
Without textile
Concentration NOx [ppb]
500
Non-photocatalytic
textile
400
300
Photocatalytic
textile
200
100
NOx concentration using the NOx control
system. 48-hour cycle
0
8:00
9:00
Tiempo [hh:ss]
10:00
Some applications: Atmospheric impact of pesticides
 Study of the atmospheric behaviour of pesticides (products, life time,
typical atmospheric concentration, etc)
 Assessments for international pesticide producers
 Experimental procedures approved by EPA (EEUU)
 Unique simulator chambers able to perform these studies worldwide
 Collaboration with the Laboratory of Public Health (GVA), ICARE, etc
 Nearly 15 peer-review papers; chapter books and congress contributions
EUPHORE in the EUROCHAMP-2020 project
 Atmospheric simulation chamber characterization and interoperability: The properties of each chamber
influence their results, i.e. need to be understood to interpret the experiments and for data inter-comparability
among different chambers, providing enhanced datasets for the scientific community including modellers.
 EUROCHAMP Data Centre: open access to high quality scientific data and development/ optimization of tools.
Databases: FTIR and chromatographic spectra. Experiment data sets
 Standard Protocols, Instrumentation, Quality Assurance and Data provision: Standardize experimental
protocols and analytical techniques, compare instruments and define best practices
 Physical access to the chambers
 Evolution of atmospheric simulation chamber infrastructure to address broader
scientific and societal needs: widening the range of applications, development of instrumentation and
procedures, strengthen the instrumental capability of chambers
 Innovation Platform: link to SMEs
 Outreach, Communication and Education: dissemination activities
From the chambers to the field
Conclusions
After 20 years of operation, the EUPHORE chambers are reference
facilities at the European and World level for the study of
atmospheric relevant processes.
It is a center of knowledge exchange
EUPHORE balances scientific research with SMEs projects/contracts
Within the frame of Eurochamp-2020, EUPHORE will continue being
at the head of the main simulation chambers for assessing
environmental issues
Thanks
Acknowledgements:
EUPHORE Team (A. Muñoz, M. Ródenas, E. Borrás, T. Vera, T. Gómez, M. Catota, D. Hernández),
EUROCHAMP-2020 (G.A. 730997), LIFE ENV-603 PHOTOCITYTEX and ENVRI-PLUS.
CEAM is partly funded by GVA