Case Studies

Reducing the production of greenhouse gases is essential to keep global temperatures less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. However, atmospheric aerosols also have a significant impact, contributing the largest uncertainty to estimates of climate change. Particles from manmade sources, such as waste incineration, tend to ...

Waste incineration, steel production, chemical and cement plants all emit hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas which combines with water to produce hydrochloric acid, contributing to photochemical smog that damages health, buildings and ecosystems. The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) limits maximum permissible HCl emissions from w...

Fossil fuel use is driving climate change and to address this Europe aims to increase energy production from renewable sources and become carbon neutral by 2050. However, many electronic items rely on batteries which have limited lifetimes and are often bulky which limits device miniaturisation. An attractive alternative is the...

Radon (Rn-222) is a radioactive gas released from soil and building materials and is the largest source of public exposure to naturally occurring radiation. Monitoring its levels is important in this regard but can also act as an additional tool for assessing the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO2)...

Photonics – which deals with generating, using and detecting light – has been defined by the European Union as a Key Enabling Technology due to its applications in areas like health, manufacturing and efficient LED lighting. To ensure photonics measurements are accurate, the optical power of sensor systems (which quantifies th...

The radioactive gas radon is released naturally from soils and rocks. It can accumulate in buildings and accounts for around half of public exposure to naturally occurring radiation. The World Health Organization therefore recommends mitigation if prolonged exposure to concentrations above 100 Bq/m3 to 300 Bq/m3 is reached. As ...