Atmospheric Pollutants & Greenhouse Gases

Clean air initiatives across Europe rely on advanced analytical methods to understand and control airborne particulate matter (PM). Quantitative elemental analysis of PM is critical for assessing health impacts and ensuring compliance with EU air quality regulations. However, traditional techniques often require lengthy sampling and complex preparation, making real-time monitoring impractical.

Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy, combined with direct air sampling, offers a breakthrough solution. By enabling rapid, multi-element analysis without filters or digestion steps, TXRF delivers actionable results in the field within short timeframes.

This capability is already being leveraged in major European research projects such as the MI-TRAP Initiative and the AEROMET Project. 

Precise quantitative measurements to determine the concentration of various Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere are of fundamental importance to understand their impact on climate change.  

Bruker’s high-end FTIR spectrometer IFS 125HR and the portable FT-IR spectrometer EM27/SUN can use the sun as the light source in order to measure the total column of a large number of relevant GHGs in the atmosphere. 

The spectrometers are employed either stationary, even in remote areas, or mobile for temporary measurement campaigns. The results allow e.g. to validate satellite-based measurements or to determine the amount of Greenhouse Gases emitted by a local source such as a city.

Climate changing greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollution are two closely linked problems. For a better understanding and mitigation investigations of their sources and sinks are necessary.

MIRO Analytical provides the world’s most precise 10-gas analyzer capable of simultaneous high-precision monitoring of the air pollutants NO, NO₂, CO, NH₃, and SO₂ and the greenhouse gases CO₂, N₂O, CH₄, and H₂O next to other trace gases such as HONO and HCHO.

With their robustness and low detection limits the MGA-series analyzers are suitable for mobile monitoring campaigns on aircrafts, ships, and cars as well as laboratory studies or measurements in remote field sites