Environmental engineering students analyse air quality in Portugal

As part of the Air Quality Management curricular unit of the Master's in Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering (FE) of Lusófona University, students have developed projects that involve in-depth research, critical analysis and treatment of real data on air quality. The aim of this work is not only to understand the current air quality situation in Portugal, but also to disseminate relevant scientific information to society.

The first work carried out by the students focussed on assessing outdoor air quality in Portugal. To this end, the students carried out a detailed statistical analysis of official databases from monitoring stations in the national network. This work allowed for a comprehensive characterisation of air pollution, identifying the main emission sources and discussing legal compliance and the necessary mitigation measures. Using the data obtained, the students created posters for scientific dissemination, which were shared with the academic community.

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In the second assignment, students explored the importance of indoor air quality, an increasingly relevant topic, especially in contexts of prolonged exposure in micro-environments. The students worked in groups to analyse different scenarios, discussing the relationship between air quality and energy efficiency. The results of this study were also shared publicly, helping to raise awareness of the need to monitor and improve indoor air quality, addressing issues such as sources of contamination, legal compliance and mitigation strategies.

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The aim of these initiatives was to provide a practical component to train professionals capable of tackling today's environmental challenges, giving them the tools they need to analyse and propose effective solutions for improving both outdoor and indoor air quality.