MEASUREMENT OF FORMALDEHYDE POLLUTION IN AMBIENT AIR

Dr. Ismo Kauppinen, CEO 24. May 2017

AQE 2017

FORMALDEHYDE can cause acute health problems and possibly even cancer

•  Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a pungent odor •  levels above 0.1 ppm can cause acute health problems, e.g. sore throat, skin

irritation, nausea, scratchy eyes and cough •  It is also classified as highly carcinogenic compound. Exposure to moderate

amounts of formaldehyde has been linked to cancer, such as leukemia

•  Children may become sensitive to formaldehyde more easily than adults

•  However, the full effect of exposure to small amounts and all of the effects are still unknown

SERIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS

WE ARE EXPOSED TO FORMALDEHYDE EVERYDAY

•  Industrial emissions, traffic, building materials, cooking, and tobacco smoking are sources of formaldehyde

•  Also many everyday products, such as cosmetics, furniture, and

detergents contain formaldehyde

•  High levels of formaldehyde are often found in new homes or homes with new construction

•  Formaldehyde is a significant emission from biofuel usage, which is increasing. It is expected that biofuel combustion will have a significant effect on increasing formaldehyde levels, especially in urban areas

TECHNOLOGY & INVENTIONS

PHOTOACOUSTIC SPECTROSCOPY •  Photoacoustic effect was discovered in 1880 by

Alexander Graham Bell

•  This theoretical potential has not been reached, since conventional microphones have been used for sensing the pressure pulses

•  Gasera’s novel cantilever sensor technology allows the use of the full potential of the photoacoustic phenomena

Photoacoustic spectroscopy is based on the absorption of light leading to the local warming of the absorbing volume element. The subsequent expansion of the volume element generates a pressure wave proportional to the absorbed energy, which can be detected via a pressure detector.

PHOTOACOUSTIC GAS CELL IR SOURCE

MICROPHONE

IR FILTER

CHOPPER

A typical setup of a conventional PAS system

GAS SAMPLE

GASERA’S KEY INVENTIONS •  Cantilever sensor

•  Over 100 times greater physical movement can be achieved compared to conventional microphone membrane

•  Highly linear response

•  Optical readout system •  Contactless optical measurement based on laser interferometry •  Measures cantilever displacements smaller than picometer (10-12 m) •  Extremely wide dynamic measurement range

BENEFITS OF CANTILEVER ENHANCED PAS

stability,reliability,easytouse Absorp(onismeasureddirectlyinPAS,whichmakesthemeasurementveryaccurateandfreeofdri<

belowppbdetec2onlimits Can(leversensorprovideshighsensi(vity

widelineardynamicrange,miniaturiza2on,lowsamplevolume Sensi(vityisnotdependentontheop(calpathlength

mul2-gascapability Manydifferentsourcescanbeconnectedtoonecell

suitabletowiderangeofprocessapplica2ons Possibilitytoheatthesamplecell

GASERA ONE Multi-gas analyzer to protect life, health and security

CONCEPT

• Sensitivity – Patented cantilever sensor

• Reliability – Photoacoustic principle • Versatility – can be combined with

different types of light sources (NIR-TDL, DFB-QCL, EC-QCL, OPO, Broadband IR and filters)

GASERA ONE - APPLICATIONS LIFE

Climate change prevention •  Greenhouse gas

monitoring for animal husbandry

•  GHGs from soil emissions

HEALTH Air quality for living and occupational safety • Detection of

hazardous chemicals at industrial sites and in cargo containers

• Monitoring air pollution

SECURITY Border security, prevention of smuggling and human trafficking • Narcotics • Explosives • Hidden persons

FORMALDEHYDE MONITORING

“Until today, ambient formaldehyde has been difficult to continuously and automatically monitor with existing technologies.”

FORMALDEHYDE MEASUREMENT CONCEPT

Photoacous(cGasCell

ReadoutInterferometer

Can(leverSensor

DFB-QCLSource

NOISE

LINEARITY

FIELD TESTING

GASERA ONE FORMALDEHYDE

•  Below 1 ppb detection limit (100 mW QCL source) •  Standalone system with built-in gas exchange unit •  Requires no consumables or wet chemistry •  Portability that enables the field use •  Short optical path that provides industry- leading dynamic range with single-point calibration •  Drift free operation due to direct absorption measurement •  Highly selective against aldehydes and other VOCs

CONTACT AND FOLLOW •  Lemminkäisenkatu 59

20520 Turku Finland

•  contact@gasera.fi •  firstname.lastname@gasera.fi •  www.gasera.fi

•  www.facebook.com/gaseraltd

•  www.youtube.com/gaseraltd

•  https://www.linkedin.com/company/gasera-ltd-

•  @gaserafinland

•  slideshare.net/gasera