15 January 2025

From 1–5 December 2025, EANET and the Japanese Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) jointly organized a five-day hybrid training program focused on PM2.5 chemical analysis and source apportionment techniques, in Niigata, Japan to support air quality monitoring in Cambodia and in Southeast Asia. The initiative, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA SATREPS) and the EANET Project Fund (Project 2025-01), gathered seven Cambodian researchers and government officials, as well as experts from Kanazawa University and Nagasaki University. A total of 232 participants joined onsite and online.

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Strengthening Monitoring and Analysis for Southeast Asia

Opening on 1 December, the training took place in Niigata, Japan, at the Asia Center for Pollution Research (ACAP), serving as the Network Center for the EANET. The training started with an introduction to the ongoing AIR-SATREPS project “Establishment of a Risk Management Platform for Air Pollution in Cambodia”, implemented by Kanazawa University with the Institute of Technology of Cambodia. The project aims to reinforce air monitoring infrastructure, establish analytical capacity for particulate matter, and support local practitioners in managing air pollution challenges.

EANET’s Network Center provided additional context on regional cooperation and emerging priorities, including VOCs monitoring, and the newly adopted Medium-Term Plan for the EANET (2026–2030).

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Hands-On PM2.5 Components Training

On 2–3 December, participants took part in onsite laboratory sessions on inorganic ion analysis using PM2.5 roll tape samples. Lectures and demonstrations from Nagasaki University and the EANET Network Center emphasized Ion Chromatography (IC) procedures and data processing. The training also focused on Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) to improve the precision of analytical outputs, an essential step for source apportionment studies.

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Applying the PMF Method for Source Apportionment

On 3–4 December, participants explored the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) modeling technique, used globally to identify air pollution sources from particulate matter data. Practical exercises guided trainees through model installation, running simulations with demonstration datasets, and matching factor profiles with known emission indicators. Case studies from Japan, Thailand, and Viet Nam illustrated how PMF analysis informs air quality management policies in the region.

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Broader Insights: Haze Detection and VOCs Monitoring

The final day featured lectures on haze prediction technologies, including satellite observation, emission inventories, and Chemical Transport Models. A session on EANET’s Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) monitoring project showcased measurement methods and initial results from field studies in Mongolia, the Philippines, and Cambodia, with plans to develop technical guidance for VOCs monitoring in the EANET countries in the near future.

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Find out more about the EANET Project Fund.

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Useful Resources:

-Read the training summary

– Read the Procedures for PMF Analysis

-Read the Lecture of Methodology of PMF analysis / Practice of PMF analysis using demo data

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Photo credits: cover photo by Daniel Bernard (2020); other photos: all rights reserved to EANET.