Departments: Market Profile: Laboratory and Portable IR and NIR in Environmental Analyses
Market Profile: Laboratory and Portable IR and NIR in Environmental Analyses
Market Profile: Laboratory and Portable IR and NIR in Environmental Analyses
Infrared (IR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy aren't exactly commonplace techniques when it comes to environmental testing laboratories. But significant niche environmental applications for both techniques are now rapidly establishing themselves. The most significant of these is the use of IR spectroscopy for analyzing hydrocarbon contamination in soil and water. IR is widely used in fuel analyzers for the petroleum industry, and so its ability to quantify various categories of hydrocarbons is already established. This niche area of application is likely to grow rapidly with the recent publication of a new ASTM standard for IR-based quantification of hydrocarbons in water that does not rely on chlorofluorocarbons or carcinogenic solvents for sample preparation. On the NIR side of the market, Thermo Scientific recently launched a handheld NIR analyzer designed specifically to address asbestos, which has long been known to be an environmental health hazard.
Laboratory and portable IR and NIR environmental demand in 2011.
The total market for laboratory and portable IR and NIR instruments in 2011 was around $12 million. Although not likely to become a major market for laboratory and portable IR and NIR spectroscopy, it clearly has the potential for growth. Thermo Scientific, which has the leading laboratory IR business, as well as the leading portable NIR business, leads in the IR and NIR environmental analysis area. A significant portion of ASD, Inc.'s portable vis–NIR instruments are used in environmental applications. Agilent and PerkinElmer market their benchtop IR systems for oil-in-water applications, while the small Austrian company eralytics recently introduced an IR-based instrument specifically to address the new ASTM standard.
The foregoing data were extracted from SDi's market analysis and perspectives report entitled The Global Assessment Report, 12th Edition: The Laboratory Life Science and Analytical Instrument Industry, October 2012. For more information, contact Stuart Press, Vice President, Strategic Directions International, Inc., 6242 Westchester Parkway, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90045, (310) 641-4982, fax: (310) 641-8851, www.strategic-directions.com.
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