A University of Sydney team have won a $500,000 AEA Ignite grant to bring their prototype methane gas detecting monitor into the field – literally, into cow paddocks.
Named the Aliquot Sensor, the portable, easy to use sensor will deliver continuous, remote methane readings.
When the Business School's Dr Alison Wong first joined the University team developing the Aliquot Sensor, the device was being developed with outer space in mind.
"The original concept was to use methane as a marker for detecting planets orbiting distant stars," Dr Wong said.
"Professor Peter Tuthill from the Faculty of Science proposed applying the sensor closer to home to monitor methane emissions on Earth, given how serious an issue it is for us."
Methane gas is the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. A major methane source are the burps and farts of the world's 1.5 billion cattle.
A 'super pollutant', methane is 86 times more potent than CO2 because it is more effective at trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Methane accounts for about 45 percent of recent net global warming.
Currently there is no reliable way to measure methane emissions at scale, so, the team pivoted to cows and their emissions.
From the lab to industry
The grant will allow Dr Wong, the project's lead entrepreneur, to work on it full-time. One of her priorities includes building a data visualisation dashboard to help end users respond quickly to information such as leaks and emission surges. This data will allow users to track what actions help reduce emissions, such as changing cows' feed or the type of cattle they run.
"What's unique with our sensor is it fingerprints the methane spectrum. It's very robust at distinguishing methane, or whatever gas we're looking at, from other gases in the vicinity," Dr Wong said.
The team will use the AEA grant to develop their IP's commercial possibilities, including having a viable device ready to sell by the end of the year and an annual subscription service to deliver location specific data analytics.
There is also the potential for the device to be adapted to detect other gasses such as ethylene, which is present when fruit over-ripens, with the potential to significantly reduce food wastage.
Testing of the prototype was undertaken in the Sydney Astrophotonics Instrumentation Lab, supported by a multi-disciplinary team from the Faculties of Science and Engineering which includes:
- Dr David Sweeney
- Dr Christopher Betters
- Professor Maryanne Large
- Professor Peter Tuthill
- Matteo Colombo
- Professor Sergio Leon-Saval
- Dr Donald Dansereau
- Bina Rajan
"Bringing together a multi-disciplinary team allows us to tap into a diverse knowledge base to tackle a complex issue," Dr Wong said.
"With the addition of the grant enabling myself and also the broader team to dedicate more time to the project, we are on track to roll out the technology and support the sector."
Initially intended for use in space, the Aliquot Sensor is now intended for use closer to home. Photographer: Connor Langford
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