Sustainable Approaches to Monitoring Urban Particulate Matter Monitoring: Challenges and Innovations

The continual efforts of humanity for socio-economic improvements led to vast emission of airborne pollutants into the atmosphere. The air quality degradation can influenced by air pollutants such as particulate matter fractions, volatile organic compounds, ozone, toxic elements, microplastics, carbon monoxide as well as sulfurous and nitrous oxides. The evaluation of the impact of anthropogenic activities on air pollution levels as a national key research gap has prompted the need to assess the environmental and health implications and explore remedial actions to curb down air pollution. In urban airborne environments, the sustainability of pollution monitoring systems is a necessity for maintaining long-term air quality and safeguarding public health. Modern approaches, such as sophisticated spectroscopic technologies and real-time monitoring systems, have greatly improved the capacity to precisely identify and analyze air pollutants. However, the longevity of these techniques depends on the ongoing development and incorporation into more comprehensive environmental management plans. Innovative wireless sensor networks, low-cost portable sensors, hybrid systems, and other advanced modeling techniques were scrutinized in this study to provide affordable and scalable solutions to enhance air quality monitoring systems. These technologies offer vital data that support public health programs, urban planning, and regulatory laws.