The device is based on the absorption of optical long-wave infrared radiation and could be helpful in detecting environmental pollution and finding leaks in pipelines. It could even be used to find life on Mars.
“Longer wavelengths are more effective at penetrating obstructing layers such as aerosols and dust, which could be a significant advantage in studying the atmospheres of various planets, such as Mars,” Dr Jacek Wojtas of WAT’s Institute of Optoelectronics was quoted on the university’s website as saying.
Dr Wojtas explained that methane is associated with the breakdown of organic matter and its presence in the atmosphere is seen by scientists as one of the primary signs of life. However, detecting the gas is no easy task as it usually occurs only in trace quantities and therefore sensors have to be very precise.
Optical methods serve the purpose very well as they use the phenomenon of laser radiation absorption to measure minute concentrations of the gas. They also allow very rapid measurements and are highly selective. In addition, the latest technologies mean optical sensors can be compact and energy-efficient.
From environment to medicine
“Methane is a very important substance as it is a component of natural gas, used as a fuel source for electricity generation and heating, the second most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, responsible for over one third of today's anthropogenic global warming,” Dr Wojtas said.
In addition to being produced naturally by wetlands and marshes, methane is produced by human activity such as coal mining, agriculture and wastewater treatment. It is also an important component in the air exhaled by humans, which can provide clues to medical conditions including intestinal disorders, inflammation of the pancreas, flatulence, diarrhea and constipation among others.
Sensitive and reliable methane detection is therefore beneficial in the accurate monitoring of environmental pollution, ensuring the purity of fuels, locating pipeline leaks, and diagnosing patients.
Most methane detection instruments currently rely on short- and medium-wave infrared. Now scientists from Dr Wojtas’s team have used a previously unexploited absorption band to achieve detection of methane to a level of 0.063 parts per billion. And Dr Wojtas sees potential in the innovation, for both science and commerce.
“I would like it to be possible to implement not only the results of these studies, but also many others that my team and I have conducted,” he said. “Their goals are always measurable effects and utilitarianism, as well as striving to develop innovative products in which the key elements are domestic [Polish] components."
