The sulphur-based gases sulphur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) are known for the impact they can have on metals. AQMesh monitors either or both, from waste processing sites to data centres and volcanic regions.

Two AQMesh pods were installed on a UK wastewater site to measure continuous real-time H2S levels, as the containers housing engines were corroding very quickly. The two pods were mounted in different locations and recorded significant levels of H2S. Peaks of over 400ppb (0.4ppm) were seen in one location, but the high sensitivity of this sensor shows real-time changes at single ppb levels. Readings are typically 15-minute averages, but can be as short as 1-minute, with user-settable alerts available, normally triggered when H2S – or another chosen pollutant – exceeds a set level.

Other applications suffer from high sulphur levels in the air, including landfill, processes which generate biogas – such as palm oil processing – and of course the oil and gas industry, particularly where sour gas is involved. Paper processing and the fertiliser industry also produce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and sulphur, with one fertiliser plant in Australia using AQMesh to monitor SO2 alongside NOx and ozone (O3).

Another customer in Australia was concerned about the corrosive effects of SO2 from a nearby mining operation and used AQMesh to compare SO2 readings against the corrosion of ‘sacrificial’ metal squares placed on equipment and street furniture.

H2S has a foul and unpleasant odour, which can draw complaints from communities that are near to any facility that is producing it, such as landfill sites. AQMesh is currently installed at several landfill sites in the UK, measuring H2S, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) near their operations and along the site boundaries. Similarly, in the USA, San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD) is using AQMesh to monitor H2S and other pollutants due to toxic waste flowing into the Tijuana River Valley from unregulated wastewater and landfill sites on the Mexican side of the border.

Data centres are also known to be at risk from sulphur in the air. As the largest data centre operators expand into new territories, the local air quality can be different to what they are used to. Whilst back-up generators may cause low levels of sulphur emissions (depending on the fuel used), some industrial areas have consistently or regularly high levels of H2S or SO2. The sensitive copper components that are critical to reliable data management can be affected by airborne sulphur, causing ‘dendrite whiskers’ which cause shorting of components and data errors. Continuous monitoring of the air entering data centre ventilation systems allows the risk to be monitored and managed.

AQMesh was also used in Nicaragua to monitor around volcanic areas, and then around similarly active areas in Iceland. Whilst high levels of SO2 were expected in Nicaragua – that was the point of the project – it was interesting to see what impact what was effectively was airborne sulphuric acid had on the AQMesh pod itself. Although some of the additional security fittings used locally were corroded, the pod coped very well with the harsh conditions.

SO2 and H2S are just two of many measurements that AQMesh pods can be configured to monitor. A single AQMesh system can measure up to 6 gases out of NO, NO2, O3, CO, SO2, H2S, TVOC and CO2, as well as PM, noise and an optional ultrasonic wind speed and direction sensor. Autonomous power can be supplied with the AQMesh smart solar pack and there is a variety of data access options to suit all needs. With wireless communications and remote support, pods can be easily installed anywhere, by anyone.

Contact our experienced team today to find out more about AQMesh and how it can support your industrial monitoring requirements.

Hydrogen sulphide around and – even worse – escaping from a site can be a problem. As well as presenting a safety concern, H2S is often a nuisance odour.

Detection and quantification at very low levels allows the source of the gas to be tracked down and addressed, or real-time continuous readings from around the site can demonstrate compliance with local restrictions. 

H2S monitoring options 

The AQMesh H2S sensor option measures the gas at single figure ppb levels, well below the level at which an odour can be detected (about 100ppb / 0.1ppm), giving ‘pre-odour’ warning or surveillance. Exceedance alerts can be set up at user-defined levels. 

H2S is one of many AQMesh sensor options, including NOx, SOx and particulate matter or dust. The pods are small and, with solar power and mobile communications, can be installed very flexibly and quickly at appropriate locations. Sensor output is transmitted to the secure cloud AQMesh server, where confidential processed readings are available by secure web app login or API.  

Measuring hydrogen sulphide in harsh conditions 

AQMesh has been used successfully to monitor H2S across a wide range of applications and climates, including fugitive emissions along site boundaries, and projects in New Zealand, South Africa, Iceland and UK. Field testing of the sensor was initially carried out in the sludge lanes of a wastewater treatment plant, and it has since been used in oil and gas, volcanic emissions, shipping ports and biorefineries. Most recently, AQMesh has been used to monitor H2S – and other – emissions from toxic landfill sludge and wastewater spilling into a river in San Diego, USA, and a UK wastewater treatment plant is measuring H2S to protect CHP engine infrastructure.  

H2S monitoring at data centres  

We have seen a huge uptake from data centres, whether to comply with local regulations about back-up generator use, or to guard against the potential damage to copper circuitry from this corrosive airborne pollutant.  

Fugitive hydrogen sulphide emissions 

Other industrial processes where monitoring H2S in real-time can be beneficial are lime manufacture and the pulp and paper industry, where NO2, SO2, VOCs and dust can also be an issue. Some users add the AQMesh CO2 sensor to their specification as it can be used in combination with other gas measurements to be an indicator of fugitive landfill emissions. 

Real-time data for landfills, oil & gas operators and industrial processors  

Monitoring along the boundary of landfills, oil & gas plants or other industrial processing sites can offer real-time information to operators to ensure that staff and any nearby communities are not affected by emissions. AQMesh pods can be deployed along fencelines to monitor not only H2S but SO2, CO2, and TVOCs, including ethylene oxide, which can all be pollutants of concern. Analysis of pollutants in combination with wind speed and direction information (AQMesh offers an integrated ultrasonic wind sensor) allows pollution sources to be identified. This is particularly helpful where there are several neighbouring sites – which one could be the polluter? 

All AQMesh pods are built to order with a standard lead time of 2 weeks and every user benefits from remote support for the life of the pod, wherever they are in the world. 

For more information on using AQMesh air quality monitors for H2S monitoring and more, contact our experienced team today. 

Our hydrogen sulphide (H2S) monitoring journey literally started in the sludge lanes of a UK wastewater treatment plant in 2017. Since then, AQMesh has been used effectively in a range of applications.

Monitoring H2S in air at levels of less than one part per billion – well below the level at which the human nose can detect this odorous and harmful gas – AQMesh can be used both to measure very dilute levels and where concentrations are significant. These small ‘pods’, with autonomous power and communications, can be quickly installed around a boundary, providing 24/7 monitoring. Near real-time readings are accessible on a laptop, phone or via alerts, indicating where H2S levels have exceeded a set threshold. This core capability has been used in various sectors.

Waste water, landfill and waste management

As H2S smells unpleasant – and may be released as a fugitive emission alongside other odorous gases, such as ammonia and mercaptans – AQMesh has been used to monitor air quality at site boundaries. The AQMesh team cooperated with a UK water utility in 2017 to prove the accuracy of the AQMesh sensor against a Honeywell SPM Flex, showing very good correlation.

During the monitoring period the AQMesh pods were moved from an outdoor monitoring location to indoor, and this saw a significant uplift in H2S levels. Across this range (0 to over 100ppb) the correlation with the Honeywell unit was very strong, at an R2 of around 0.9.

Since this original study, AQMesh has been used to monitor at landfill and waste management sites around the world, including New Zealand, Iceland, South Africa and UK. Continuous, real-time boundary measurements can be used to investigate odour nuisance complaints, with alerts set up if concentrations exceed agreed limits, over a user-set time interval. As pods are deployed closer to the source of emissions, monitoring can be used to alert operators to high levels of H2S, as well as other pollutants. Action may need to be taken, such as enclosing spaces or protecting staff from inhaling elevated levels of pollutants.

Industrial processes

Linked to H2S from waste, AQMesh is currently being used to monitor H2S levels at a site close to a biorefinery plant, where measured levels of the gas show regular peaks.

Other industrial processes where real-time H2S monitoring can add value are the oil and gas industry – particularly relating to sour, or sulphur-heavy gas, and oil sand extraction – as well as lime manufacture and paper processing. The most common air pollutants generated by the pulp and paper industry are nitrogen oxides, sulphur compounds, particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), all of which can be monitored by a single AQMesh pod. AQMesh has been used in all these applications, providing secure, confidential, real-time information to operators, to protect staff and neighbouring communities, and identify sources, mitigating where necessary.

Ports and shipping

Shipping has long been under fire regarding the levels of sulphur in fuel, as well as other air pollutants. AQMesh has been used in various studies which have aimed to identify the sources of pollution around ports, as harbourside operations and nearby traffic movements – inside the port and on roads in the neighbouring area – also create air pollution. Capturing plumes from ships is notoriously difficult but possible, using AQMesh capturing data at 1-minute intervals and wind speed and direction (an integrated AQMesh option), analysed to identify the direction and scale of the source.

Volcanic activity

Volcanoes present another significant source of sulphurous emissions. Five AQMesh pods were installed at and near Keflavik airport in Iceland, monitoring gases produced by the nearby volcano at Fagradalsfjall, including H2S, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The monitoring project was a collaboration between the airport authority, Isavia, and the Icelandic Environment Agency, to ensure good air quality for Isavia staff as well as users of the airport and local residents. Three AQMesh pods were located at Keflavik airport, with two others installed in nearby towns to monitor air quality in the local community, with measurements published on a website.

A 2017 study in Nicaragua, led by the University of Leeds, predated the AQMesh H2S sensor option, focusing on SO2 and particulate matter. The pods, with independent power and communication, were set up to understand how it might be possible to provide early warning to residents of dangerous levels of SO2 and PM.

Monitoring hydrogen sulphides to prevent short-circuits at data centres

H2S in the air – which can come from a number of sources – is a particular risk to information technology, as it can damage copper circuitry. Airborne H2S and SO2 can form a weak acid, which can cause dendrites to form on electronic components, resulting in short-circuits and potential data loss. This risk is growing worldwide, with more compact circuitry increasing the risk of short-circuits, and more data centres being located in areas with higher levels of H2S and SO2 in the air.

H2S attacks copper, forming thin films of metallic sulphides – dendrite whiskers – which speed up corrosion, so some data centre operators monitor H2S outdoors, near air intakes, and internally within UPS rooms to avoid sulphur-induced degradation in power modules. These gaseous contaminants can lead to deterioration of silver solder as well as copper surfaces on computer circuit boards, leading to intermittent and hard errors, caused by either impeding the flow of electricity or forming unintended circuit paths.

Data centres focus on filtration for particles and management of temperature and humidity, but gases in the air may bypass such filtration systems. One method of monitoring for potential corrosion is to expose silver and copper coupons to the air in the server centre and measure corrosion over a month. This is an effective methodology, but the results of the month-long test may arrive too late to prevent damage. Monitoring of the air coming into the building allows real-time notification of elevated levels of H2S and SO2, allowing action to be taken before polluted air enters the data centre.