A Blog of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
On April 2, the Swiss Power-to-X Innovation Network SPIN celebrated a very special anniversary at its General Assembly: 100 years of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In 1925, chemists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch developed a process for converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen (synthesis gas) into long-chain hydrocarbons – an important step that today plays a central role […]
If you’re a frequent reader of our blog, you already know that we’re deeply invested in air quality — particularly when it comes to the impact of transportation. Whether it’s engine emissions, field measurements, lab studies, or targeted campaigns, we’ve done it all. If you’re new here, you’ve arrived at an exciting time! We’re taking […]
If you have ever owned a car, you are probably familiar with the mandatory (bi-) annual emissions test, which were introduced to ensure that wear and tear on the engines do not have a negative impact on the exhaust gas quality. And even if you have never owned a car, chances are that this connection […]
As most of our active followers know, our research group is responsible for the operation, maintenance and optimization of the Swiss Mobile Aircraft Emission Measurement System (SMARTEMIS). Typically, the system is installed in test cell 1 at SR Technics, located at Zurich Airport. In 2022 however, the SR Technics management decided to reactivate their second […]
We introduced you to the concept of lung deposited surface area (LDSA) and our network of LDSA sensors in a previous post. The idea of monitoring very fine particulate matter (PM) comes from the knowledge that up to 90% of number concentration of ambient PM comprises of particles less than 500 nm of which ultrafine […]
Updates to SAE E31 in Winterthur – 27.06.2022 ZAV successfully hosted this year’s SAE E31 committee’s summer meeting from June 20 – 24 in Winterthur, Switzerland. This meeting was the first one taking place in person since January 2020. As usual, the meeting primarily focused on discussing the progress and plans for various standardized methods […]
Exactly one year after the first measurements at the Gas Turbine Research Centre (GTRC) in Wales, the second measurement campaign was due there. And just like last year, the situation with the COVID pandemic started to deteriorate dramatically just before our departure. After numerous meetings, discussions and clarifications, including the development of strict COVID protection […]
Right after Christmas 2018, our group was approached by a foreign aircraft engine manufacturer who requested us to perform various nvPM measurements in 2019. For 2019, our group originally planned to run engine emissions tests at our home base at SR Technics at Zurich airport, but due to their demanding test cell overhaul, we could […]
TOOLS: Emission/immission Meteorology Computing Emissions and air quality measurements SMARTEMIS The Swiss Mobile Aircraft Emissions Measurement System (SMARTEMIS) is a state-of-the-art sampling and measurement system for gaseous pollutants and particulate matter in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and recommended practices. It is one of three reference measurement systems worldwide for non-volatile […]