Home to the World’s Largest Indoor Atmospheric Chamber
CE-CERT’s atmospheric chamber facilities recreate real-world atmospheric conditions so researchers can study how pollutants form, transform, and affect air quality and climate.
Located in the Atmospheric Processes Laboratory, the chambers support controlled investigations of gas-phase chemistry, secondary organic aerosol formation, multiphase processes, indoor air quality, filtration technologies and emerging air quality sensors.
The facility includes two large climate-controlled chambers, a mid-scale chamber for complex emission mixtures, and a mobile system that can be deployed near emission sources. Findings support air quality modeling, technology evaluation and strategies for cleaner indoor and outdoor air.
Chamber Facilities
Three complementary systems allow researchers to move from highly controlled atmospheric simulation to source-coupled field research.
Large Environmental Chambers
Two 90-cubic-meter Teflon chambers in a climate-controlled enclosure
The dual-chamber system enables highly realistic simulation of atmospheric chemical processes. Temperature, humidity and ultraviolet light can be controlled to study gas-phase reactions and secondary organic aerosol formation from anthropogenic and biogenic volatile organic compounds.
Parallel chambers allow researchers to compare two emissions sources, technologies or environmental conditions under closely matched experimental settings.
- Temperature and humidity control
- Ultraviolet light simulation
- Parallel comparative experiments
- Gas and particle measurements
MEZ Chamber
35-cubic-meter Mid-Scale Environmental Zone
The MEZ chamber is optimized for chemically complex emission mixtures. Researchers use it to investigate emissions from cooking, biomass burning, agricultural sources and consumer products.
The chamber also supports performance validation for emerging air quality sensors, filtration systems and advanced indoor air-cleaning technologies.
- Cooking and biomass emissions
- Agricultural source studies
- Consumer product emissions
- Sensor and filtration testing
MACh System
20-cubic-meter Teflon chamber on a mobile platform
The Mobile Atmospheric Chamber is designed for near-field atmospheric simulation. It can be deployed outdoors or integrated with CE-CERT’s vehicle testing facilities to capture fresh emissions and study how they transform in the atmosphere.
Its mobility supports specialized research campaigns at or near emission sources where fixed laboratory systems are not practical.
- Mobile field deployment
- Vehicle-emissions integration
- Near-field atmospheric simulation
- Source-specific campaigns
Research and Testing Applications
The chamber systems support atmospheric chemistry research, technology validation and regulatory work across indoor and outdoor environments.
Atmospheric Chemistry
Study gas-phase oxidation, secondary organic aerosol formation and multiphase processes under controlled temperature, humidity and lighting conditions.
Source Characterization
Evaluate how emissions from vehicles, biomass burning, cooking, agriculture and consumer products evolve after entering the atmosphere.
Indoor Air Quality
Test HVAC systems, air purifiers, filtration technologies and other approaches intended to improve indoor environmental conditions.
Sensor Validation
Compare emerging air quality sensors with research-grade instrumentation under repeatable and carefully controlled conditions.
Model Development
Generate experimental data that supports the development and evaluation of atmospheric chemistry and air quality models.
Regulatory Support
Provide reproducible measurements and independent evidence for technology assessment, emissions research and cleaner-air strategies.
Collaborate With CE-CERT
CE-CERT’s atmospheric chamber facilities are available for collaborative research, contract testing and regulatory support. Partners can use the chambers to evaluate low-emission technologies, consumer products, indoor air systems, sensors and air quality models.
Project planning begins with a conversation about the research question, source or technology, desired measurements and the chamber best suited to the work.