Partnership for greenhouse gas analyser

The University of Wollongong (UOW) and Ecotech, a company which specialises in environmental monitoring instruments, have announced a partnership to manufacture and distribute a comprehensive greenhouse gas analyser to worldwide markets.

Based on technology developed by researchers at UOW’s School of Chemistry, the Ecotech instrument, known as the Spectronus analyser, delivers a high-precision, real-time analysis of all principal greenhouse gases.

The Spectronus analyser has, according to its researchers, capabilities unmatched by its competitors. The analyser has applications in background air monitoring and in quantifying the emissions and uptake of greenhouse gases by ecosystems and industries, especially agriculture.

“Policy decisions based on climate change research demand precise, highly accurate and repeatable data for all greenhouse gases, not just CO₂,” according to the Head of the UOW Research Team, Professor David Griffith.

Other gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, along with water vapour, are all important in any comprehensive assessment of atmospheric effects on and by climate change.

The Spectronus analyser is a single high-accuracy instrument which simultaneously measures important greenhouse gases. Nicholas Dal Sasso, Ecotech’s Managing Director, said: “One of the major benefits of the analyser is its long-term performance stability without the need for frequent calibration.”

The Spectronus hardware is complemented by powerful operating software, which results in a flexible, fully automated system that can be controlled remotely.

“This partnership is a great example of the tertiary education and manufacturing sectors working together on an Australian innovation which will reach global markets,” Dal Sasso said.