Make: Volume 78

VOC Sensors

Sensors that detect volatile organic compounds

(VOCs) come in various types that can detect

alcohols, aldehydes, methane, carbon monoxide,

and other gases or vapors.A VOC sensor is

sometimes called an eCO

2

sensor because it

estimates an equivalent calculated CO

2

level

using an algorithm based on the presence of

other gases.

The Bosch BME688 sensor, available from

Adafruit on a Stemma-format board, is $20.For

our purposes, VOC sensors don’t effectively

measure CO

2

but they’re great for calculating the

indoor air quality (IAQ) index, as VOCs are emitted

by paint, carpets, hand sanitizers, etc.

Figure

G

shows a plot of a day in the ...