Automatic Flux Chamber for the Monitoring of Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emissions from Peatlands
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Peatlands are a type of wetlands that act as a carbon sink to prevent dead plant material from biodegrading and releasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Peatlands are currently being destroyed for the production of palm oil and other agricultural products, which releases greenhouse gases, that were previously confined underwater, into the atmosphere; these agricultural practices contribute to potentially catastrophic global warming events. Climate researchers seek to understand such impacts by collecting data on greenhouse gases that are released from Indonesian peatlands. However, current modes of collecting peatland emissions data are inadequate because they are expensive, non-portable, and not long-lasting. We seek to address these issues through the design and production of a floating greenhouse gas flux chamber that collects data from the water surface of peatlands. Thus, we created PEAT, the Peatlands Environmental Assessment Tool, which floats on a body of water, traps gases emitted from the surface, collects data on gas concentrations, and releases the gases in a continuous cycle. Our chamber integrates a methane and carbon dioxide sensor on a printed circuit board. PEAT is protected from humid environments, uses an actuated linear sliding door for venting, floats using a foam ring, can be easily tethered to a stationary object, and can collect data autonomously for one month before any maintenance is required. We conducted the following tests on PEAT: a flotation test that verified its ability to stabilize itself under rainy and windy conditions, a sealing test that verified the device can trap gases, a venting test that verified the device can reset greenhouse gas concentrations to ambient conditions, and desiccant lifespan test to ensure that the electronics will be kept at a safe humidity for the duration of autonomous data collection. The implication of PEAT’s robust design is a long-lasting, low-cost, and portable solution that supports the research of greenhouse gas emissions and can impact climate regulations.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Publication date | April 2, 2023; 2023 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Zhen, Raymond |
|---|---|
| Author | Schroeder, Olivia |
| Author | Quiroz, Jessica |
| Author | Lee, Britney |
| Researcher | Lamb, Jack |
| Researcher | Precourt Institute for Energy |
| Advisor | Su, Lester |
| Advisor | Domingo, Lawrence |
Subjects
| Subject | Mechanical Engineering |
|---|---|
| Subject | Peatlands |
| Subject | Wetlands |
| Subject | Carbon dioxide sinks |
| Subject | Greenhouse Gas |
| Subject | Global warming |
| Subject | Agriculture |
| Subject | Flux Chamber |
| Subject | Peat |
| Subject | Autonomous Data Collection |
| Subject | Climate Regulations |
| Subject | Automatic Flux Chamber |
| Genre | Text |
| Genre | Report |
Bibliographic information
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- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred citation
- Zhen, R., Schroeder, O., Quiroz, J., and Lee, B. (2023). Automatic Flux Chamber for the Monitoring of Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emissions from Peatlands. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/ww703ht1564. https://doi.org/10.25740/ww703ht1564.
Collection
ME170 Mechanical Engineering Design
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