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It is a collaboration between IDAEA-CSIC, the Áltima Group, the Government of Catalonia, and Aigües del Prat
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The campaign will take place over the summer and assess the impact of emissions on particle concentrations caused by air traffic
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IDAEA’s mobile air quality monitoring unit will be located at the El Prat Sud funeral home and at a stormwater control facility
IDAEA’s mobile unit will measure ultrafine particles originating from the airport. | Andrés Alastuey
Despite significant improvements in air quality across Europe over the past three decades, air pollution remains a major public health concern. As highlighted by the World Health Organization and the new EU Air Quality Directive, it is essential to investigate new air quality indicators, such as ultrafine particles, ammonia (NH₃), black carbon and oxidative potential, in order to better understand the health impacts of particulate pollution.
To analyse the impact of air traffic emissions on the formation of ultrafine particles, an intensive monitoring campaign will be carried out in summer 2025 in the vicinity of the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, within the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat. During this campaign, researchers from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA) of CSIC will collaborate with the Sub-directorate General for Environmental Quality of the Government of Catalonia, the Áltima Group and Aigües del Prat to carry out the measurements.
“We will be measuring new atmospheric aerosol metrics and gaseous precursors, and examining how different sources contribute to particulate matter, ultrafine particles and oxidative potential, both in urban areas and at traffic emission hotspots,” explains Andrés Alastuey, researcher at IDAEA-CSIC and lead of the project.
As it is not possible to carry out sampling within the airport itself, the monitoring instruments have been installed at the El Prat Sud funeral home and at a stormwater discharge control facility (Anti-DSU), thanks to the collaboration of the Áltima Group and Aigües del Prat. This collaboration has been made possible with the support of El Prat de Llobregat City Council and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.
“At Áltima, we are strongly committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility across all our processes, as well as to innovation and the development of solutions, products and services for the families we serve. That’s why we’re especially pleased to collaborate with IDAEA on this scientific project, an initiative that aligns with our vision of actively contributing to environmental quality improvement,” says Alfonso Galdo, Director of Environment and Sustainability at Áltima.
The monitoring campaign is part of the AIR-PHONEMA project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and led by IDAEA-CSIC. The project aims to assess the contribution of different modes of transport to ambient air pollution levels.
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