21 January, 2021

Having just been established in January, Munster Technological University has hit the ground running! MTU’s Centre for Advanced Photonics and Process Analysis (CAPPA), has launched the EU-funded project: PASSEPARTOUT.

This prestigious project is worth over €7 million and aims to develop low-cost optic sensors to monitor air quality. The project was officially launched at a virtual kick-off meeting on the 18th of January by MTU President, Professor Maggie Cusack.

MTU researcher and senior lecturer Dr Liam O’Faolain who will coordinate the project, said, “We are delighted to have received funding for the Passepartout project, which builds on and complements previous research activities and collaborations”.

The project, worth over €800,000 to the research centre is a huge achievement for the university and brings the total amount of funding secured by CAPPA to over €11 million in the past five years.

What Is the PASSEPARTOUT Project?

The team aims to create compact photonic sensors that will exploit photo-acoustic and photo-thermal based spectroscopy. These sensors will then be mounted on buildings, vehicles and drones to provide outdoor air pollution monitoring in real-time. The technologies that will be used in the project are widely available, but the team will focus on combining them and miniaturising them for use in portable analysers.

This is an important step in the project as the team hopes to rectify the current drawbacks of the available technology. Currently, the available pollutant detectors are impractical for widespread or mobile deployment, due to size, cost and durability. Another drawback of the available detectors is that they are generally not stable or sensitive enough for reliable monitoring.

The researchers will develop and produce three types of analyser: stationary, mobile and airborne. These analysers will be deployed in field trials with community involvement. The data collected by the analysers will be collected and processed to be presented in an app, which will be made available to the public. The PASSEPARTOUT team anticipate that this app will be used by the public and businesses to structure their daily routines to reduce exposure to air pollution.

What is the Driving Force Behind the Project?

Air pollution is a major threat to both public health and the climate. According to the World Health Organisation, 4.2 million deaths per year can be attributed to outdoor air pollution. The team involved with the PASSEPARTOUT project expect to be able to measure important pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide. Real-time pollution monitoring with public alerts is needed to minimise the exposure of the population to air pollution.

“The PASSEPARTOUT project is an excellent example of MTU’s ambition as we embark on our mission to build a region that is a global exemplar for sustainable, healthy and responsible living. Large scale collaborative projects such as this exemplify the more research-focused values of the new Technological University.” Dr Niall Smith - MTU Cork’s Head of Research.

The PASSEPARTOUT project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research an innovation programme, within the context of the Photonics Public Private Partnership. This project, coordinated by MTU, brings together seven academic institutions, 10 industry partners and the local authority of the city of Bari in Italy.

To keep up to date with the project make sure to check out the PASSEPARTOUT website  

To read about more organisations that have partnered with MTU check out our case studies 

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If you need any additional information or would like to get in touch to discuss a collaboration email: extendedcampus@cit.ie