The drone with the mounted quantum cascade laser can measure methane emissions from oil and gas fields on the move. Image: Empa
The drone with the mounted quantum cascade laser can measure methane emissions from oil and gas fields on the move. Image: Empa Humans are exposed to numerous harmful environmental influences, and it is an international concern to quantify these emissions as accurately as possible in order to be able to take measures to contain them. Empa is also part of these efforts and has, among other things, developed a drone equipped with state-of-the-art measuring instruments which can detect methane leaks. It is also assisting the European Space Agency (ESA) in the development of new satellites capable of detecting CO2 sources from space. Methane (CH4) is one of the main causes of global warming, but the contribution of the individual methane sources is still not exactly known. Such quantification would be urgently needed, however, if measures are to be taken to achieve the United Nations (UN) climate targets. Within the Horizon2020 project MEMO2 ("Methane goes Mobile, Measurements and Modelling"), 20 research groups from seven countries are focus-ing on identifying methane sources and quantifying their emissions using mobile analytical equipment - including Empa.
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