AIR MONITORING Air Sensors


Reliable Performance You Can Trust


Progress in compact laser technology can enhance environmental fi eld monitoring


Alphasense is proud to announce the launch of its re-engineered LFO2 Oxygen Sensor. Designed to deliver exceptional performance, the new long-life LFO2 oxygen sensor series not only reinforces Alphasense’s commitment to quality and innovation, but also introduces a new design that will set the standard for all future Alphasense sensors.


With the long-life LFO2 sensors, Alphasense reimagined every aspect of its sensor production, departing from the designs of the previous generation to meet modern demands for both precision and sustainability. Featuring a fresh, redesigned look, the LFO2 sensors embody Alphasense’s ongoing commitment to innovation. This series includes three models: the LFO2-A1, LFO2-AL, and LFO2-AH, each purpose-built for spe cifi c applications, from measuring oxygen levels in high concentrations to capturing lower oxygen percentages. These models promise durability, reliability, and accuracy that customers have come to expect from Alphasense, ensuring sensors that simply work — whenever, wherever.


“The new LFO2 series demonstrates Alphasense’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of sensor technology and delivering products that meet both quality and environmental standards,” said Ronan Baron, Technical Director at Alphasense. “We have redefi ned every aspect of our design and manufacturing process for these sensors to ensure that customers can trust their LFO2 sensor to perform accurately and consistently, from the fi rst use to its fi nal day. When customers open a tray of the new LFO2 sensors, they can count on the same performance and reliability that Alphasense is known for.”


The LFO2-A1 sensor is a direct replacement for existing long-life amperometric oxygen gas sensors, including the Alphasense LFO2-A4. It measures oxygen concentrations ranging from 0-30% and offers enhanced durability and design. With enhanced performance and an updated, robust design, the LFO2-A1 represents a signifi cant advancement over its predecessor. The LFO2-AL sensor, designed for lower power consumption, measures oxygen concentrations ranging from 0-95%. Completing the series is the LFO2-AH, which detects lower oxygen concentrations ranging from 0-2%, delivering the same level of precision that Alphasense customers have come to expect.


These long-life oxygen sensors represent Alphasense’s pledge to develop environmentally conscious products without compromising performance. Customers can trust that, like all Alphasense products, the new LFO2 sensors deliver on the company’s quality promise. Each sensor in this line is crafted with meticulous attention to durability and reliability - essential for today’s critical sensing applications.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/kwWO 63603pr@reply-direct.com


Two recent advances in laser design, one from Germany and one from China, could reshape the future of industrial emissions monitoring. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart and the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science have each developed compact, high-effi ciency laser systems that bring laboratory-grade precision closer to fi eld-ready, portable instrumentation. Together, these developments signal a shift toward smaller, more reliable laser sources for atmospheric and industrial emissions monitoring.


At the University of Stuttgart, scientists from the 4th Physics Institute and Stuttgart Instruments GmbH have achieved a long- sought goal: a short-pulse laser system that is both highly effi cient and small enough to fi t in one hand. Conventional femtosecond or picosecond systems are large, energy- intensive, and confi ned to laboratory use. The new multipass optical parametric amplifi er (OPA) overcomes those limits.


Instead of using one long nonlinear crystal, or many short ones connected in sequence, the system sends light through a single short crystal multiple times. After each pass, the beam is realigned to stay synchronised with the pump pulse. This design maintains amplifi cation across a wide wavelength range while achieving effi ciencies up to 80%, compared with about 35% in current systems.


For emissions monitoring, that effi ciency and compactness matter. Tunable mid-infrared (MIR) lasers are central to spectroscopic gas analysis, as many air pollutants, including CO₂, CH₄, NOₓ, SO₂ and VOCs, absorb strongly in the MIR. A portable, wavelength-fl exible laser source


could enable new types of fi eld-deployable analysers, from compact open-path sensors and vehicle-mounted detectors to mobile calibration units for satellite instruments. The Stuttgart system is part of the MIRESWEEP project, which focuses on low-cost, tunable MIR sources for analytical applications. If commercialised, it could make infrared absorption spectroscopy more practical in industrial settings and environmental fi eld campaigns, where continuous emissions monitoring must balance precision with power use and ruggedness.


In parallel, researchers at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science in China have re-engineered the excimer laser, a key deep-ultraviolet (DUV) source widely used in atmospheric and photochemical studies. Traditional excimer systems rely on mechanical gas pumps to circulate the laser medium, generating noise and mechanical wear. These drawbacks have restricted their use in portable or airborne monitoring equipment.


The Hefei team replaced mechanical pumping with a multi-needle electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pump, which drives gas fl ow using corona discharge rather than moving parts. The resulting system, about the size of a thermos (Ø130 mm × 300 mm), achieved more than 2 mJ per pulse at 100 Hz with exceptional stability (1% energy variation). A non- invasive schlieren velocimetry technique confi rmed steady gas circulation through the laser cavity, essential for maintaining beam consistency. The smaller, quieter design is directly relevant to fi eld-based UV


Industrial Emissions


Multipass optical parametric amplifi er with laser beam. Credit: University of Stuttgart.


monitoring.


Deep-UV lasers are used to detect and study ozone, aerosols, and organic pollutants through absorption and fl uorescence spectroscopy. By eliminating mechanical components, the Hefei system makes UV sources suitable for deployment on drones, ships, or stationary remote-sensing platforms, supporting in-situ air quality and photochemical monitoring. The research team also applied machine learning to model and predict pulse-energy transitions under different operating parameters. This data-driven control allows adaptive optimisation of output stability, improving reliability in autonomous or long-term monitoring scenarios where environmental conditions vary.


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Mercury in ambient air, workroom air and stack gas applications


PS Analytical employs Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (AFS) instruments that offer leading performance in terms of limits of detection, wide working ranges & freedom from interferences. These attributes, combined with our novel sampling systems (both online and active sampling), our hallmarked robustness & ease of use, make PSA your fi rst choice for mercury determinations in ambient, workroom air and stack gas applications.


Mercury in ambient air is now routinely measured in both urban and rural sites due to the toxicity and mobility. Mercury analysers are deployed within monitoring stations which are designed for fi xed, long periods of unattended operation.


Ambient air sampling usually involves looking for lower concentrations (0.5 to 5ng/m3


) of mercury which do not tend


to change signifi cantly over time (except in cases of sudden pollution). Sampling times are typically 5 to 30mins for online measurements (daily-to-monthly) for remote lengthy sample data sets.


A typical Hg monitor system consists of a computer, PSA 10.525 Sir Galahad, PSA S66S5200 series Stream Selection Unit, PSA 10.536 series Hg Vapour Generator and pump/ control modules. The actual analysers system determines Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM).


The health effects that can be caused by breathing mercury depend on how much mercury vapour you breathe and how long you breathe these vapours. The well documented


health impacts can result from both short-term and long-term mercury exposure.


There is often the potential of high concentrations of mercury vapour in localised industries e.g. during Hg recovery/ recycling or in other manufacturing processes. Real time results and alarms are required to protect workers from potential Hg vapour exposure.


For workplace air monitoring, the Hg levels are generally higher (0-50µg/m3


) and more


prone to sudden fl uctuations. Therefore, shorter sampling times are used with a higher frequency of sampling. The PSA 10.216 workroom air monitor includes an automatic calibration, validation and multi-channel operation with preset alarm facilities.


The Air Sentinel (PSA - G525S100) is an unattended, active air sampling device that has been developed in response to a demand for a better approach compared to traditional passive samplers.


The ambient sample is actively pumped over PSA’s gold Amasil traps to preconcentrate any Hg that may be present. Depending on the location remoteness and other requirements, the system may be powered by a combination of normal mains power and/or a rechargeable battery with solar panel options.


Once the sample is collected, the Amasil gold traps are returned to the laboratory for analysis using the Sir Galahad (II) AFS. The sample volume is automatically calculated and populated to the analyser and the


non-destructive analytical process is rapid (<5mins). This allows the gold traps to be reused for multiple deployments.


With faster sampling rates, and accurate sampling volumes that are NOT affected by weather conditions (temperature, pressure, humidity, etc), and a range of power options, the Air Sentinel offers some real benefi ts in air pollutant monitoring capability.


This Air Sentinel has been designed to collect total gaseous mercury, as well as elemental and oxidised forms. Other parameters of interest may also be collected, such as particulates, VOCs, and dioxins with judicious choice of fi lter or absorbent material.


The Air Sentinel may be deployed in remote areas (as well as in urban and built-up environments for activities such as fence-line monitoring, point source pollution events and even volcanic activity


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/b83G 66677pr@reply-direct.com


Air Analysis


Are you confused about the latest requirement of QAL1 for CEMS? We asked an expert. WWW.ENVIROTECH-ONLINE.COM 19


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