|
|
| |
|
The Reason
|
|
Our trash is sent to landfills and ultimately decomposed in airtight cells underground; the bacteria that digest the waste release what is known as "landfill gas," a varying mixture comprising mostly methane and CO2. Formerly regarded as a flammable/environmental hazard, this gas is increasingly being tapped as a natural energy source. Landfill operators direct the gas to a common header, filter out large particles, and then use the stream to fuel special generator engines which create electricity that can be sold to the power grid. The problem with this exciting energy source is that the bacteria also produce other compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, which combusts to SO2 (a highly regulated pollutant) and must legally be removed from natural gaseous fuels. |
|
The Method
|
|
The composition of landfill gas, including its H2S content, varies greatly with the composition of the garbage that we collectively feed to the underground microbes that digest it. From Applied Analytics, Inc., the OMA-300 H2S Analyzer continuously monitors H2S concentration (range: 0-1,000 ppmv) in the landfill gas stream before it gets fired in the generator engines. The diode array technology inside the OMA-300 has the proven capability to isolate H2S absorbance from the interfering absorbance of unknown compounds in a stream of volatile composition. Providing highly reliable, real-time H2S measurement, this system allows operators to determine when their landfill gas stream rises above legal H2S limits and should not be fed to the generators, thus avoiding fines, shutdowns, and socially irresponsible emissions.
|
|
More Information
|
|
The OMA-300 H2S Analyzer brochure. |
References:
1 http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/wms-delosreyes-methanogen/ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2011 Applied Analytics Group
|
|