Gas analyser guides nitrate removal advance

Glasgow, Scotland - A portable FTIR multiparameter gas analyser from Quantitech is helping researchers at the University of Strathclyde to prove the efficacy of a novel technique ('NITRABAR' - an EC LIFE Environment Project) that helps remove nitrate pollution from groundwater.

The NITRABAR system uses permeable reactive barrier technology and consists of a trench containing a mixture of natural materials, which converts Nitrates to harmless nitrogen gas – see www.nitrabar.eu

The University's prof. Robert Kalin has employed the gas analyser (Gasmet DX 4030) to perform a complete analysis of gaseous emissions from a trial in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

"The DX 4030 has been of great value to the project because of its ability to measure almost any gas, which means that we have been able to track the denitrification process and measure the presence of other important gases such as methane and carbon dioxide," said Kalin.

The NITRABAR project has been underway since December 2005 and has demonstrated an ability to reduce nitrate concentrations by over 90%.