
LTH Profile Area: Aerosols
Today, humanity faces large societal challenges, and we are now in a transition period where a lot of technical development is ongoing. In order to work for this shift towards a sustainable society, the LTH Profile Area Aerosols has identified the following areas of impact:
- Health
- Climate
- Innovations and solutions
The research increases the understanding of the sources of particulate air pollution and its effects on the climate and human health, and provides innovations and control strategies in the following areas: Healthy indoor and outdoor environments, clean transportation and sustainable materials and cities. Research is performed in close collaboration with external actors in order to meet societal and industrial needs.
Our goals are to promote clean air, improve climate predictions and enable sustainable solutions.
Focus areas
The activities are divided into three well-connected research directions that span from basic to applied research:
- Basic studies of pollutant formation and transformation
- Emission reduction potential and impacts of emerging technologies in transportation and energy.
- Non-tailpipe particle emissions from road and rail transport (from brakes, tire-road and wheel-rail interfaces)
Coordination: Per-Erik Bengtsson, Jens Wahlström and Joakim Pagels
In this focus area, there are studies on atmospheric aerosols from various sources, from the surface all the way up to the stratosphere:
- Fundamental studies of atmospheric processing and cloud formation
- Improved quantification of the climate impacts of atmospheric aerosols
- Provision of input for improved health impact assessment of different pollution sources and their atmospheric processing
Coordination: Erik Swietlicki, Moa Sporre, Birgitta Svenningsson and Pontus Roldin
The area includes basic research where aerosols are used to create new materials, and research on human and environmental exposure during production and manufacturing, as well as consumer use, accidental fires, disposal and recycling:
- Generation of advanced materials with size and composition control via the aerosol route
- Human exposure and inhalation safety aspects of novel materials across the life cycle
- Environmental spread via aerosol emissions during recycling and secondary use of materials
Coordination: Jenny Rissler, Maria Messing and Christina Isaxon
Aerosols in indoor environments is a rapidly expanding research area both when it comes to indoor air quality and through the role of aerosols in disease transmission. This focus area has three strategic research directions:
- Basic indoor aerosol processes, with quantification of emissions from indoor sources and indoor transformation of outdoor pollutants.
- Creating healthy indoor environments, exploring the interplay between aerosol exposures and multiple environmental factors in the built environment affecting human health.
- Aerosols and disease transmission, with the vision to reduce adverse health effects from inhalation of biological aerosols.
Coordination: Aneta Wierzbicka, Birgitta Nordquist and Jakob Löndahl

Infrastructure
The infrastructures within Aerosols involve aerosol measurement stations and aerosol laboratories. Links below will open the respective infrastructure's website.
- ACTRIS – the Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure
- Lund University Aerosol Laboratories:
- Aerosol and Climate Laboratory
- Engineered Nanoparticle Laboratory
- Max IV Finestbeams: Materials and atmospheric science beamline
- Soot Optical Diagnostic Laboratory

People
The researchers within the area Aerosols in Lund University's Research Portal
Participating departments:
- Building and Environmental Technology
- Centre for Mathematical Sciences
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Design Sciences
- Energy Sciences
- Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition
- Mechanical Engineering Sciences
- Physics
- Technology and Society
Departments from the faculties of Medicine and Science also participate.
Today, humanity faces large societal challenges, and we are now in a transition period where a lot of technical development is ongoing. In order to work for this shift towards a sustainable society, the LTH Profile Area Aerosols has identified the following areas of impact:
- Health
- Climate
- Innovations and solutions
The research increases the understanding of the sources of particulate air pollution and its effects on the climate and human health, and provides innovations and control strategies in the following areas: Healthy indoor and outdoor environments, clean transportation and sustainable materials and cities. Research is performed in close collaboration with external actors in order to meet societal and industrial needs.
Our goals are to promote clean air, improve climate predictions and enable sustainable solutions.
Focus areas
The activities are divided into three well-connected research directions that span from basic to applied research:
- Basic studies of pollutant formation and transformation
- Emission reduction potential and impacts of emerging technologies in transportation and energy.
- Non-tailpipe particle emissions from road and rail transport (from brakes, tire-road and wheel-rail interfaces)
Coordination: Per-Erik Bengtsson, Jens Wahlström and Joakim Pagels
In this focus area, there are studies on atmospheric aerosols from various sources, from the surface all the way up to the stratosphere:
- Fundamental studies of atmospheric processing and cloud formation
- Improved quantification of the climate impacts of atmospheric aerosols
- Provision of input for improved health impact assessment of different pollution sources and their atmospheric processing
Coordination: Erik Swietlicki, Moa Sporre, Birgitta Svenningsson and Pontus Roldin
The area includes basic research where aerosols are used to create new materials, and research on human and environmental exposure during production and manufacturing, as well as consumer use, accidental fires, disposal and recycling:
- Generation of advanced materials with size and composition control via the aerosol route
- Human exposure and inhalation safety aspects of novel materials across the life cycle
- Environmental spread via aerosol emissions during recycling and secondary use of materials
Coordination: Jenny Rissler, Maria Messing and Christina Isaxon
Aerosols in indoor environments is a rapidly expanding research area both when it comes to indoor air quality and through the role of aerosols in disease transmission. This focus area has three strategic research directions:
- Basic indoor aerosol processes, with quantification of emissions from indoor sources and indoor transformation of outdoor pollutants.
- Creating healthy indoor environments, exploring the interplay between aerosol exposures and multiple environmental factors in the built environment affecting human health.
- Aerosols and disease transmission, with the vision to reduce adverse health effects from inhalation of biological aerosols.
Coordination: Aneta Wierzbicka, Birgitta Nordquist and Jakob Löndahl
Infrastructure
The infrastructures within Aerosols involve aerosol measurement stations and aerosol laboratories. Links below will open the respective infrastructure's website.
- ACTRIS – the Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure
- Lund University Aerosol Laboratories:
- Aerosol and Climate Laboratory
- Engineered Nanoparticle Laboratory
- Max IV Finestbeams: Materials and atmospheric science beamline
- Soot Optical Diagnostic Laboratory

People
The researchers within the area Aerosols in Lund University's Research Portal
Participating departments:
- Building and Environmental Technology
- Centre for Mathematical Sciences
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Design Sciences
- Energy Sciences
- Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition
- Mechanical Engineering Sciences
- Physics
- Technology and Society
Departments from the faculties of Medicine and Science also participate.
Kalendarium
March
LTH AEROSOLS seminar: Vaccine Delivery by Inhalation
April
LTH AEROSOLS workshop: Black Carbon (soot) Air Pollution – Measurement, Sources, Fate, and Regulation
May
LTH AEROSOLS seminar: “Secondary aerosol formation in polar regions” by Carlton Xavier
September
LTH AEROSOLS seminar: Swedish competence centre in road technology – what is it and which opportunities can it give? by Joacim Lundberg
