Sep 7, 2010 15:01 GMT  ·  By

A team of investigators in Spain is currently developing a technology that could keep a virtual eye on pollution levels being generated by traffic jams.

Whenever large numbers of vehicles amass in a traffic jam, a large portion of all drivers do not turn off their engines. This leads to the accumulation of toxic fumes above these areas.

Using remote sensing capabilities, researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), in Spain, hope to be able to track how these pollutant emissions vary over time.

They are developing a scientific instrument that could infrared radiation to analyze the air at certain locations in a single measurement.

At this point, in order to determine the amount of pollution present above an area, researchers need to conduct a series of studies, which includes tests for various chemicals that may exist in the air.

But the Spanish research team wants to develop a system of doing this in a single, fell swoop. Their approach is based on the existing Open-Path FTIR approach.

The methodology was developed in collaboration with researchers from the Universidad Europea de Madrid. It relies on several chemicals and physical properties of gases to conduct the measurements.

One of the things gases do is absorb light of particular wavelengths. These wavelengths are unique to each chemical in existence, and researchers can therefore easily figure out the chemical composition of a gas by simply and literally shining light on it.

“With this technique all of the gases that have absorption bands in the infrared can be measured simultaneously, which are almost all of those that are of environmental interest: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, methane, hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, chlorhydric acid, etc.,” says expert Antonio de Castro.

He is part of the research team based at the UC3M Department of Physics' Infrared Laboratory, that conducted the research.

“This technique offers the advantages inherent to a non-intrusive measurement technique, avoiding having to take gas samples in special recipients and providing average concentrations during a measurement line defined in real time,” he adds.

“The possibility of monitoring a wide spectrum of gases from a distance and observing wide areas in such a simple manner makes this technique a useful tool,” explains UC3M professor Susana Briz.