Element Materials and a1-cbiss Nominated for Best Supplier and End-User Partnership at AQE 2022

Global initiatives to reduce the use of fossil fuels have resulted in an increase in the use of fuels of biogenic origin as a replacement. This has prompted a demand for emissions monitoring that is able to distinguish between biogenic and fossil derived carbon, where mixed fuels are combusted. 

Element is a leading global provider of testing, inspection, and certification services on a wide range of products, materials, processes and services. This includes the measurement of emissions from regulated processes, and in recent work at Energy from Waste (EfW) plants Element has conducted manual sampling of emissions in order to conduct biogenic carbon-14 analysis. However, grab samples represent emissions at one moment in time, and waste streams can vary over time, so continuous sampling is likely to deliver a more representative result. Element has therefore partnered with a1-cbiss, which is the only known company to have developed a continuous biogenic carbon emissions sampler, the AMESA-B, which is compliant with EN 13833,

In the system supplied by Element, samples are extracted via a heated sampling probe and transported to a cartridge filled with sodium hydroxide which adsorbs the biogenic fraction of the CO2 emissions. In a1-cbiss' offering, the carbon dioxide is fixed with lime. These cartridges are collected monthly and sent to a laboratory, which has been authorised for carbon-14 spectrometry. This enables operators to fulfil the requirements of the Renewable Obligation (RO) scheme, and to obtain Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs). 

In summary, the manual sampling provided by Element and the continuous sampling provided by a1-cbiss are complementary activities which, in combination, enable power generators and EfW plants to comply with the latest requirements and optimise plant performance. 

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