Greenhouse Gases Detection Exploiting a Multi-Wavelength Interband Cascade Laser Source in a Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Sensor

This study presents the performance of a multi-gas sensor for greenhouse detection based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS). The QEPAS sensor exploits an innovative, compact three-wavelength laser module as excitation source. The module integrates three interband cascade laser chips with a beam combining system, all enclosed in a compact metallic package with sizes of 40 × 52 × 17 mm to generate a single output beam. The multi-gas QEPAS sensor was tested in a laboratory environment for the sequential detection of two greenhouse gases, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and a precursor greenhouse gas, carbon monoxide (CO). At an integration time of 100 ms, minimum detection limits of 21 ppb, 363 ppb, and 156 ppb, were estimated for CH4, CO2, and CO detection, respectively, all well below their natural abundance in air.