DRI Scientists Moosmüller and Keislar Obtain New DRI Patent for Air Pollution Technology

DRI has received a U.S. patent for the invention of an instrument by two DRI scientists that remotely measures the particulate matter mass emitted by motor vehicles as they drive by the instrument. Drs. Hans Moosmüller and Robert Keislar , air quality scientists in DRI’s Division of Atmospheric Sciences, developed and built this remote sensing device to study the impact of mobile sources on particulate matter pollution and on the non-attainment of federal PM standards.

The two are part of a team of DRI researchers working to develop new methods determining and predicting the level of vehicle emissions in order to improve air quality management and urban transportation planning. Four manuscripts describing the remote sensing device, the theory behind it and first results were recently submitted to peer-reviewed journals. United States Patent, No. 6,542,831 for a “Vehicle Particulate Sensor System” was awarded on April 1, 2003.