- elemental composition and relationships among the aerosol constituents, markers and signatures, and the related emission sources,
- carbonaceous aerosol including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), black carbon (BC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), secondary organic aerosol (SOA), and their emission and formation processes,
- chemical, physico-chemical and optical properties of atmospheric humic-like substances (HULIS),
- biogenic and fossil sources of organic aerosol, and their markers,
- size distributions and statistics of aerosols and their constituents for aerodynamic and/or electrodynamic mobility ranges,
- atmospheric nucleation,
- interaction of aerosol particle and water vapour at sub-and supersaturated conditions,
- properties, formation and effects of atmospheric ultra fine aerosol (nano-sized) particles,
- health effects of aerosol in specific (mainly traffic) micro-environments,
- modelling respiratory deposition,
- sampling and sampling artifacts,
- evaluation and modelling methods,
- comparisons across Europe,
- indoor aerosol.
Field work performed
Animations
- The difference between emissions and atmospheric nucleations
(by Máté Vörösmarty, Ph.D. student)
- Look around ELTE Lagymanyos site
- Wind channel above Danube in Budapest
- Homogeneous nucleation in the lab (cold smoke) and ambient air
- Time evolution of the particle number size distribution
in Budapest on 9 April 2012
(by Zoltán Németh, Ph.D. student)
- Surroundings of the BpART
- BpART Lab in 2020
Analytical and measuring methods applied
- gravimetry,
- tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM),
- instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA),
- proton-induced X-ray emission analysis (PIXE),
- total organic carbon analysis (TOC),
- thermal-optical transmission carbon analysis (TOT),
- real-time thermal-optical transmission carbon analysis (RT-TOT),
- light reflectance method,
- ion chromatography (IC),
- atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS),
- UV/VIS spectrometry,
- electronic and vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy,
- inductively-coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS),
- total reflection X-ray spectrometry,
- HCNS element thermal analysis,
- pendant-drop shape method,
- electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,
- Mössbauer-spectroscopy,
- electronic and vibrational circular dichroism spectrometry,
- differential mobility particle sizer (DMPS),
- hygroscopicity and volatility tandem differential mobility analyser (HV-TDMA),
- Atmospheric Pressure Interface Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (APi-TOF MS) with chemical ionisation,
- Particle Size Magnifier (PSM),
- Air Ion Spectrometer (AIS),
- Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter (CCNc),
- electrostatic high voltage ultrafine aerosol particle precipitator.
Some of the aerosol collection and measuring methods were accomplished or supervised by experts of the specific method, which are acknowledged as related co-operations in the section Field work performed.
Funded research projects
- Research Infrastructures Services Reinforcing Air Quality Monitoring Capacities in European Urban & Industrial AreaS (RI-URBANS), associated collaborator, Horizon 2020 – Research and Innovation Framework Programme, H2020-GD-2020 (10103624).
- Atmospheric new aerosol particle formation and growth: the role of biogenic sources. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2020–2023, Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH/OTKA)
- Development of an air pollution prediction system considering the aerosol-water interactions, Participant: Imre Salma, duration: 2017–2020, European Regional Development Fund and the Hungarian Government (GINOP-2.3.2.15-2016-00055).
- Multidisciplinary research centre for sustainable and climate adaptive agriculture, Participant: Imre Salma, duration: 2017–2020, European Regional Development Fund and the Hungarian Government (GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00028).
- Chemical On-Line cOmpoSition and Source Apportionment of fine aerosoL (COLOSSAL). Chair: María Cruz Minguillón, Spain, Management Committee member for Hungary: Imre Salma, duration: 2017–20, (COST OC-2016-1-20692).
- Climate and health significance of atmospheric aerosol – water vapour interactions in urban environment. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2016–19, National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH/OTKA)
- Environmental and health effects of ultra fine atmospheric aerosol in Budapest. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2011–15, National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA).
- Similarities and differences of urban aerosol in Budapest and Prague. Principal investigator for Hungary: Imre Salma, duration: 2009–10, Hungarian Science and Technology Foundation (TéT).
- Ultra fine atmospheric aerosol. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2006–10, National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA).
- Real-time measuring methods for aerosol mass in indoor and workplace environments. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2006–08, research contract with Zarges Plc.
- Particulate matter: properties related to health effects. Chair: Regina Hitzenberger, Austria, Management committee member for Hungary: Imre Salma, duration: 2002–08, (COST 633).
- Carbonaceous atmospheric aerosols in Budapest: chemical characterization, source identification, and investigation of their formation mechanisms and environmental impacts. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2003–06, National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA).
- Biogenic and biological atmospheric aerosols in Hungary and Flanders. Co-promoter: Imre Salma, duration: 2005–06, Hungarian Science and Technology Foundation (TéT).
- Urban and rural carbonaceous aerosols in Flanders and Hungary: characterization, source identification and apportionment, and chemical mass closure. Principal investigator for Hungary: Imre Salma, duration: 2003–04, Hungarian Science and Technology Foundation (TéT).
- Deposition of aerosol particles in the human respiratory system for different locations in Budapest. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2003, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Water Management (KvVM KAC).
- Characterization and sources of carbonaceous atmospheric aerosols. Principal investigator: Willy Maenhaut, Belgium, promoter of the subproject EV/02/11: Imre Salma, duration of the subproject: 2001–04 (OSTC SPSD II).
- Effect of traffic on the aerosol air quality for different locations in Budapest. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 2000, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Water Management (KvVM KAC).
- Urban aerosol in Budapest: origin, source contribution, time variation and transformation processes of size-fractionated aerosol particles. Principal investigator: Imre Salma, duration: 1995–98, National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA).