The Three Main Types of Environmental Monitoring Sensors

Sensors have now become much more of a critical component in the current technological world, and due to the fact that they can detect types of life support data in regards to environmental conditions, they are very important.

According to a report by the BCC in 2014, the global environmental sensor and monitoring business will grow from $13.2 billion in 2014 to $17.6 billion in 2019, with an annual growth rate of 5.95% for that period.  The monitoring and sensing of environmental conditions is fundamental for any constructive environmental change in the future.

Here we discuss the three different types of environmental monitoring sensors:

·         Physical Sensors

·         Chemical Sensors

·         Biological Sensors

1.     Physical Sensors

Physical sensors are used to measure dynamics or dynamic forces, such as electromagnetism, sound, light and temperature. These are most often used in biomedicine, as well as in the development of the novel measuring technology.

A common type of a physical sensor is the infrared gas sensor, which uses a beam of infrared light, invisible to the human eye, to detect gas anywhere along the path of the beam. There is a sensor component at the other end of the beam that measures the beams’ infrared waves: This is used to detect harmful gases as they can absorb some of the infrared waves.

2.     Chemical Sensors

Chemical sensors are used to measure gas, ions, motes and humidity. Chemical sensors are used in industrial applications such as oil refining, environmental gas monitoring and chemical process monitoring.  The sensors used for this process need to be able to withstand the potentially challenging environment.

Chemical sensors would also be used in wastewater treatment, to provide environmentally safe water. Detectors can also be used for mining management, ensuring that if a dangerous condition arises, evacuation will occur promptly, aided by audible and visual alarms.

3.     Biological Sensors

Biological sensors measure microorganisms, immunities and enzymes. Many of these sensors are essentially used as environmental sensors, but are primarily used in the health industry as medical device applications.

SGX Sensortech, a market leader in innovative sensor and detector technology, have a wide range of monitoring sensors. These sensors and detectors offer an unrivaled performance due to their robustness as well as their cost effectiveness.