Sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and many other toxic environmental pollutants can now be easily and accurately detected thanks to a new infrared camera developed by scientists at The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid’s Laboratorio del Infrarrojo (LIR).
The biggest advantage of the technology is that each compound can be measured separately from the others, allowing rapid detection and monitoring of gases from vehicles, power plants and chimneys.
The patent of the device is held by SENSIA Solutions, a spin-off of the laboratory. The company’s CEO commented that the camera is easy to install and does not require specialized knowledge for its operation. It can easily be used as part of a gas monitoring system, at a price which is not higher than a normal infrared camera.
The camera can be used to detect leaks or dangerous emission levels, which could be extremely beneficial to industries, which require constant gas monitoring. The makers of the instrument are also certain that it could help in monitoring and reducing the amount of emissions from vehicles.
According to one of the scientists at LIR, Miguel Angel Rodrigez, the sensitivity of the technology allows detection of extremely low concentrations, and it can be adapted to any legal limits.
The consequences of atmospheric pollution are major and pose numerous risks to human health in many regions of the world. By allowing rapid measuring of concentrations of the most dangerous gases, this new camera brings us a step closer to developing a functional monitoring system, which has the potential to save many lives.
