ET’s air quality monitoring laboratory - The Smogmobile (et.co.uk was out at last weeks (8^th June 2023) Clean Air Carnival in Lambeth, London doing what it does best, showing off its fantastic array of sophisticated air quality monitoring technology for children and adults alike to see it working in practice, producing real-time data on the quality of the air we breathe.

The Mums for Lungs organised event was well received with a large number of local children taking to the streets to learn about the importance of clean air for our minds, bodies and the environment.

ET MD, Duncan Mounsor, attended the event as a STEM ambassador along with some academics from some of the most prestigious scientific organisations in the UK. The event benefitted from the presence of Dr Ian Mudway, Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health at Imperial College, London and Dr Rosamund Dove a postdoctoral Researcher at The Queen Mary University of London and member of Children’s Health in London and Luton (CHILL).

Duncan, who is passionate about educating the next generation on the dangers of air pollution, commented on the event “As a STEM ambassador I find these types of community outreach events are great opportunities to engage with primary school-aged children. At the carnival It was great to see such a large number of young people really interested in learning about air quality and how it is measured by instruments such as those utilised in our fully electric, Smogmobile.

As a company, we really value opportunities such as this to talk to the public, in particular the younger members, about the wide-reaching effects of pollution. It helps towards influencing a more considered mindset when it comes to making everyday choices about how our actions can affect environmental issues such as air pollution. “

ET’s Smogmobile will take a short rest now until Clean Air Day on June 15^th when it will be zooming down the M4 to Newport to monitor and raise awareness in South Wales.

You can find out more about the Smogmobile here.

Over the course of the past year Somerset Wildlife Trust along with partners at Avon Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Natural England have investigated the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Somerset’s lowland peatlands. 

Lewis John, ET’s Sales Manager for Scientific Applications, met with Somerset Wildlife Trusts Peatland Partnership Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Officer, Beth Pudifoot at Honeygar Farm recently to see first-hand how the ABB LGR-ICOS GLA-1313-GGA Microportable Greenhouse Gas Analyser, supplied by ET, was used for this project.

Image above: Lewis John and Beth Pudifoot at Honeygar Farm, Somerset.

Image left: Beth Pudifoot with the GLA131-Greenhouse Gas Analyser

Investigations showed how a broad baseline of GHG emissions from different peatland land use types in Somerset, might be affected by different land management actions such as cutting and grazing.

Beth Pudifoot comments “We found the GLA131-GGA very simple and user-friendly, particularly the associated real-time interface. The smaller size meant it was convenient to transport and carry across site. It consistently produced good quality, reliable data, which along with quick and detailed support and assistance from ET, meant the GLA131-GGA was ideal for use in our project”.

Image: Beth Pudifoot monitoring with the GLA-1313-GGA at Honeygar Farm


THE RESULTS

Samples were taken on 11 different sites, with a combination of land owned by nature conservation organisations and privately owned agricultural land being monitored. Overall, the project evidenced that between May and December 2022, the Somerset Levels and Moors were a constant source of carbon, with levels ranging from a monthly average of 0.24 – 1.75 g/m²/hr CO₂e.

The project focussed on engaging with local landowners and managers, without who’s buy-in and collaboration success wouldn’t have been assured.

The results highlighted the importance of protecting peatland ecosystems, especially in the face of climate change. The project also reinforced that there are potential emission reductions to be made, transforming this landscape from net emissions to net sequestration.

THE FUTURE

Somerset Wildlife Trust has ambitions to continue the monitoring of GHGs across the Somerset Levels and Moors into the future, building on the baselines recorded this year.

Keep a look out for the full Case Study which will be published soon!

For more information on the ABB LGR-ICOS GLA-1313-GGA Microportable Greenhouse Gas Analyser available from ET in the UK and Ireland, take a look at our webpage or contact us for more information on info@et.co.uk or call 01453 733200.

ET UK Sales Manager for Scientific Applications Lewis John, recently hand delivered an ABB-LGR GLA132-SOFX1 Ultraportable Soil Gas Analyser to Dr. Jen Roberts at the University of Strathclyde. Dr Roberts and her colleagues are looking to use it for research applications such as soil flux, contaminated land surveys, and even monitoring respiration rates of fungi, a new application for ET!

Lewis reports the half a days training he gave to the senior members of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department and 12 other academics, was very well received and they are all looking forward to doing some research with it soon.

Find out more about the ABB-LGR GLA132-SOFX1 Ultraportable Soil Gas Analyser here.

Herefordshire has two Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) due to higher levels of nitrogen dioxide, exceeding national standards (40μg/m3).

ET have supplied a new Air Quality Monitoring Station in Bargates, Leominster to help mitigate the problem.

The work included all project management, installation & commissioning, together with a 3-year fully inclusive service and data collection contract.

Picture left shows (left to right): Paul Norman (ET) and Herefordshire Council representatives: Councillor Ange Tyler (Housing, Regulatory Services and Community), Marc Willimont (Head of Public Protection) and Charles Yarnold (Environmental Health Service Manager) at the new air quality monitoring station in Bargates, Leominster.

The station will provide the council with real-time data of NO₂ levels, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 which can help identify actions to improve air quality and provide additional data on other pollutants.

Cllr Ange Tyler, Cabinet member for Housing, Regulatory Services and Community, said “By allowing more accurate measuring of air pollution, the new monitoring station will help us to identify areas of concern, improve the success rate of grant submissions, and ensure there is robust data on which to base medium to long term decisions and assess the impacts of our various initiatives.”

This work follows ET's upgrade of an existing automatic monitoring station on Victoria Street in Hereford last year.

You can read the full press release here.

Cura Terrae is pleased to announce the acquisition of Enviro Technology Services Ltd. The deal was completed on 23^rd December 2022.

Enviro Technology joins Ecus, Environmental Monitoring Solutions and Envirocare under the Cura Terrae umbrella. As a leading global player in the air monitoring systems market, their services perfectly complement the range of environmental services offered by our ever-growing group.

Enviro Technology is based in Stroud, Gloucestershire and will work alongside our existing teams, offering real-time instrumentation and bespoke ‘turn-key’ environmental monitoring systems and support for the measurement of air pollution and greenhouse gases to a large range of clients in the UK and multiple geographies worldwide.

For almost 40 years, Enviro Technology has worked closely with government, local authorities, agencies, research and industrial clients to implement and support the instrumentation required to monitor compliance with legislative air pollution targets, as well as advancing localised strategies and solutions.

CEO of Cura Terrae, Professor Pete Skipworth, sees this entry into the air monitoring market as an important strategic step in Cura Terrae’s growth and an opportunity to continue building a leading and increasingly diverse, environmental group that offers complementary client services that make a real difference in taking care of The Earth. He comments, “It has never been more important to understand and manage the air pollution that is around us every day. This acquisition is a significant and exciting development for Cura Terrae, and we look forward to welcoming Enviro Technology’s staff and clients on board and continuing our mission. They will complement the services already offered by the group, and their expertise will strengthen our existing pool of knowledge, experience and resources, all of which allow us to offer excellent environmental services.”

Duncan Mounsor, Managing Director of Enviro Technology adds, “We’re thrilled to have found a place where our business and staff can thrive. Joining the Cura Terrae family means we can continue to provide our clients with cutting-edge monitoring technology and high-quality services within a multi-disciplinary environmental group that aligns with our mission to help our clients work towards a more sustainable future.”

Duncan adds ‘the expertise and experience our team bring to the group adds significant value, and we’re lucky to be joining teams whose disciplines perfectly complement what we offer our clients. Our global sales will continue to be led by Mike Webley, who is almost universally known in the air quality industry. We’ve been leading the air pollution monitoring sector for 40 years, and now it’s time to join forces with Cura Terrae and its subsidiary companies so that we can grow, learn, and lead.’

Cura Terrae is backed by investment from Palatine Private Equity’s Impact Fund, whose long-term commitment to place purpose and sustainability at the heart of their investment strategy aligns perfectly with Cura Terrae’s shared mission to protect the environment. This acquisition was also backed by Shawbrook Bank, and we were advised by David Mkhitarian and James Down at Hill Dickinson Manchester, as well as Alex Stewart and Nicola Merritt at Cortus Advisory. Enviro Technology shareholders were advised by Tim Ward at Harrison Clark Rickerbys Solicitors, Cheltenham.

Krag Petterson (Vice President of Marketing and Sales at SailBri Cooper, Inc. Cooper Inc) and Mike Webley (Director, ET) signed a new exclusive distributor agreement for the sale of SCI Cooper’s range of products at the recent NAAMC Pittsburgh Conference 2022 National Ambient Air Monitoring Conference | US EPA .

Adding the Republic of Ireland to the existing list of regions for ET, swells its market for the sale of the Sailbri Cooper Inc product range, which includes; Kazakhstan, the Middle East and the UK CEM market.

Xact® 625i Multi-Metals Monitoring System

Clean Air Day (CAD) is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign, bringing together communities, businesses, schools, and the health sector.

Back in September 2021, ET agreed the hire of the Smogmobile to Fife Council to assist with their campaign to highlight the dangers of air pollution and to try and increase active travel to and from Schools to run for the three days up to CAD 2022 (June 16^th).

The Councils objective was to raise awareness of air pollution levels peaking at drop-off and collection, and exposing children to harmful toxins and to encourage walking, cycling or scooting to school as a healthier alternative.

Over the three days, ET’s Managing Director, Duncan Mounsor, monitored air pollution at three primary schools around Dunfermline using ET’s custom-made mobile air quality monitoring laboratory - the Smogmobile.

 The Smogmobile at St Margaret's Primary School in Fife.

Duncan, who spoke to 15 groups of children during one of the days commented: “I actually get a huge amount of job satisfaction visiting schools to talk about the dangers of poor air quality. It’s a global problem. We must educate ourselves and our children to help ensure we continue to decrease pollution levels for future generations”

Blair Falconer, Fife Council’s Land and Air Quality Technician said “The project was key in raising awareness among local children. We hope we have inspired some changes, and that the children continue to build upon this knowledge”.

During the visits, the children were excited to see the mobile laboratory in action and had lots of questions. Teacher, Isla Ferguson remarked, “The pupils at Carnegie Primary have been buzzing about Clean Air and monitoring air pollution all week! I've had some lovely comments from a couple of parents saying that their children - who were involved in some of the many groups who came to listen to Duncan - found it really fascinating. Once again, thanks for the opportunity to be involved: our students have really benefitted.“

The Smogmobile really lends itself to this kind of research and education project.

The Smogmobile’s next outing is to Westminster on June 28^th where it will be monitoring at two Westminster locations to mark London Climate Action week. Smogmobile visits Westminster for London Climate Action Week | Westminster City Council

If you’d like more information about the Smogmobile, you can read about it in our brochure

2017-smogmobile-brochure.pdf (et.co.uk)

It’s not often any of our Sales team get to go to such a scenic location to train a customer on one of our products but on this occasion, they certainly did!

ET’s Scientific Applications Sales Manager, Lewis John and MD, Duncan Mounsor set off for sunny South Africa in early April this year following an order for an ABB / LGR Triple Liquid Water Isotope Analyser from BIOGRIP (Biogeochemistry Research Infrastructure Platform) at Stellenbosch University.

The BIOGRIP facility at the university provides access to advanced analytical techniques and instruments for water and soil research to clients in industry and research institutions. It also provides post-graduate students the opportunity to be trained to operate the equipment.

Lewis trained Dr. Janine Colling, a scientist based at the University and Volante Moonsamy, Junior Analyst at BIOGRIP over the three days he was there.

Their procurement of the TLWIA is a significant development in water isotope research. The vast majority of existing research in this area has been done in the Northern hemisphere, so there are many unknowns with regards to isotopic compositions and transport mechanisms in the Southern hemisphere water cycle, and lots of novel research to be done. Janine is one of very few researchers in SA to have access to a water isotope analyser that can measure δ¹⁷O, this is due to the advantage of the unique Off-Axis ICOS cavity design.

The TLWIA will be available for internal research, but also for Masters / PhD student projects, and commercial analysis for clients along with other high-end isotope instruments in their new laboratory.

The TLWIA will be a profitable tool for Stellenbosch University, with its low running costs, minimal need for maintenance, and high rate of sample throughput. These are specific advantages to the LGR TLWIA that make it a very desirable acquisition for commercial laboratories and research institutes alike.

For more information on any of the ABB / LGR Liquid Water Isotope Analysers available from Enviro Technology Services Ltd check out our product page or contact ET to speak to a specialist.

www.et.co.uk    01453 733200    info@et.co.uk

It’s not often we can claim to have supplied samplers to such a scenic location, but in this instance, we certainly can.

The picturesque landscape (shown below) is home to one of the UK’s most significant research facilities for the study of long-term environmental change.

About the site

Auchencorth Moss Atmospheric Observatory (AMo) is a long-term monitoring research infrastructure situated on ombrotrophic peatland based approximately 18km south of Edinburgh. Consisting of 10km2 of patchy mix of grasses and sedges, it lies on a base layer of typical peatland.

Its purpose is to carry out research on long-term atmospheric composition, surface-atmosphere exchange of pollutants and carbon catchments. As a result of the large number of parameters that are routinely measured at the site, it is part of a wide range of monitoring networks.

Originally (1994) the site was used to study methane fluxes, the following year studies expanded to include sulphur dioxide and ammonia fluxes due to its peatland ecosystem and distance from emission sources. It has since developed into Scotland’s largest Air Quality Monitoring station being one of only two rural supersites in the UK.

Today AMo reports over 300 chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere and is used as a platform for many research projects operated by UKCEH Scientists, with all data publicly available on the UK-Air (DEFRA), Scottish Air Quality database, Natural Environment Research Council Data Repository for Atmospheric Science and Earth Observation (CEDA) and EBAS (ebas.nilu.no).

Monitoring equipment

With such a large scope of research depending on the site it’s no surprise it’s equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring technology. ET supplied the site with Digitel High Volume (below left) and Low Volume Samplers (below right) over a period of time from 2011 to 2022.

These sophisticated instruments are ideal for this kind of work. The HVS DHA-80 samplers have an autonomous system for continuous sampling of dust and aerosol particles for later assessment and analysis. Air-borne dust particles in the sampled air are separated on to Ø 150 mm filters so that sequent gravimetric and analytical analysis can be conducted, depending upon the pollutants of interest. The filters are subject to a constant and precise volume flow and are changed automatically at pre-set intervals.

The LVS DPA14 uses a similar operation, but its execution is 5 to 50 litres per minute (0.3 to 3m³/h as opposed to the 100 - 1000 l/min (6 - 60 m3/h) capacity of the HVS system.

It’s the superior workmanship in sampler mechanics, backed by the latest technical and electronic control, that guarantees a long lifetime and absolutely reliable operation of these units. And their involvement at facilities such as AMo is a testament to that.

In addition to the samplers, over the years ET have supplied other high specification instruments to AMo including a Teledyne API T200UP Ultra Sensitive Chemiluminescence Analyser with patented high efficiency Blue Light Converter (BLC) in 2016. The BLC provides a very specific conversion of NO2 with conversion efficiency, avoiding the interferences other methods would be affected by. This allows for consistent and accurate NO2 measurements.

For more information on the HVS or LVS samplers from Digitel, or the Teledyne API T200UP Ultra Sensitive Chemiluminescence Analyser available in the UK and Ireland through Enviro Technology Services, check out our website or contact us at info@et.co.uk or ring 01453 733200.

You‘ve spent a large chunk of your budget on monitoring equipment and can’t risk it failing, not delivering the valuable data you need, right?

Choosing the right supplier to maintain your considerable investment can be quite daunting, we understand. There’s a lot to consider.

• How can I be sure the engineer knows the product thoroughly?
• Can I guarantee a breakdown will be resolved quickly so data loss is minimal?
• Will spares be available when I need them?
• Will my service provider be able to service brands supplied by other companies?
• And, if I’m not satisfied with my current provider, is my contract locked in?

All these questions, and more are answered in our video – ‘What sets an ET service contract apart from the others’ 

If no extra expenses, no long delays and no fuss is your preference, the choice is clear.

Benefits in brief
Nationwide team of engineers covering England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

• 15 x factory trained service engineers.
• High quality work, ISO9001:2015 Quality assured.
• CHAS and ISO45001:2018 Health and Safety certified.
• ISO14001:2015 Environmental Management System and strong CSR performance.
• Focus on zero emissions, low-emissions and sustainable site travel and scheduling.
• F-Gas certified air-conditioning service engineers and IEE18th Edition qualified electricians.

We’re dedicated to keeping data capture rates at the high levels expected by Government, local authorities and environmental regulators and more than 200 valued customers.

What sets us apart
Following almost four decades in the business and with the largest team of air quality monitoring engineers in the UK, we can assure you, it’s our experience, regional coverage and commitment to quality that sets us apart.

Ultimately, best long-term value for money is what you’ll get with an ET service contract. And that just makes sense.

To talk to someone about a service contract with ET, call us today on 01453 733240 or email servicecontracts@et.co.uk

You can also download our service contract brochure here.