At Fenimore Landfill in Roxbury, N.J., where rotting debris is blamed for the release of dangerous amounts of hydrogen sulfide, real-time monitoring is providing a warning system for nearby residents should the releases spike, as well as valuable data to those evaluating solutions.
Emilcott Technology Inc. has developed a system of real-time air monitoring, called Greenlight, which integrates cloud computing to make the data publicly available online instantly. It is currently deployed at the Fenimore Landfill.
Bruce Groves, president of Emilcott, says the monitoring system is the first of it’s kind.
“It’s really the future of detection,” Groves said, “if you look at any site like this landfill, no one has ever had a system put up that can keep and eye minute-by-minute.”
The system in Fenimore is used to monitor hydrogen sulfide levels, as well as wind speed, wind direction, temperature, air pressure, relative humidity and total rainfall.
Instant notifications are sent from the system to alert of potentially high levels of hydrogen sulfide in the area, which in the case of Fenimore are sent to local government, which then distributes information to residents, according to Groves.
Four types of alerts are available to Roxbury officials subscribed to the notifications, including notices for schools, playing fields and the opening of emergency centers, each with different thresholds.
Alerts can also be found real-time on the project's website.
There are 13 monitors activated around the Fenimore Landfill. Most of them incorporate Jerome 631-X Hydrogen Sulfide Analyzers.
Emilcott is also working in New York on the Hudson River, monitoring noise and seismic activity for the bridge slated to replace the Tappan Zee.