ICAR validation methane recording devices

Introduction

ICAR validation ensures that a device (e.g. methane recording devices) meets manufacturer performance claims through ICAR-approved test plans conducted by a qualified ICAR Test Center. Successful validation confirms that the system can reliably deliver quality data when used correctly, leading to the award of an ICAR Certificate of Validation.

Procedure with application for ICAR validation of methane sniffer and its claims

The procedure for validation (Figure 1) starts with a request or claim by an applicant, which can be a manufacturer, another stakeholder or a combination of these, to the ICAR Secretariat. The applicant should apply through the application form available through the ICAR Secretariat and ICAR website. A complete application includes:

• General features of the applicant (name, addresses, physical location, contact person), to be provided filling an ICAR application form;
• Information on outsourced processes used by the applicant that are relevant for the evaluation;
• Sniffer name and type, additional ‘brand and type’ names;
• Purpose and measurement parameters;
• Where and how to be applied (laboratory, on-farm at-line, on-farm in-line);
• Mounting position or use;
• Specie(s) - i.e. cow, buffalo, sheep, goat, other;
• Peer reviewed publications;
• Reports of validation studies;
• Claim(s) to be validated ;
• Test type required (new device, testing a modification);
• Technical characteristics, drawings and photographs of device;
• Technical manual outlining functional processes and principles as well as software/firmware documentation.
• Installation procedure;
• User manual, including instructions on proper maintenance;
• Routine test or periodic check procedures for operators and service technicians.

Following the payment of a first part of the application fee by the applicant, the following steps will be taken:

• ICAR Secretariat will check the application form and related documentation.
• ICAR will recruit and appoint experts to form an ICAR Expert Panel. This Expert Panel reviews the application with the request/claim.
• ICAR, on recommendation of the ICAR Expert Panel will appoint an ICAR Test Centre to conduct the tests.
• The ICAR Expert Panel will formulate a test plan in consultation with the applicant and the ICAR appointed Test Centre.
• ICAR issues an umbrella contract and sends it to the applicant together with the test plan and the invoice for the full test fees.
• The ICAR test will be scheduled and conducted after the contract is signed and the test fees are paid in full. The ICAR Secretariat coordinates financial transactions between the applicant, the ICAR appointed Test Centre, and ICAR.
• For the test to begin, the applicant must send all the necessary devices and accessories to the ICAR appointed Test Centre. In addition, all manuals, documents, and procedures should be provided to the ICAR appointed Test Centre.
• Then the ICAR appointed Test Centre will conduct the tests. The ICAR appointed Test Centre is obliged to act according to the procedures laid down in the test plan and accompanying protocols. All details associated with the testing phase, including the test results, are kept strictly confidential. The ICAR appointed Test Centre provides periodic reports on tests in progress to the concerned ICAR Expert Panel.
• Upon completion of the test, the ICAR appointed Test Centre provides a draft report on the test results to the concerned ICAR Expert Panel through the ICAR Secretariat.
• After a 21-day review and comment period by the ICAR Expert Panel, the ICAR appointed Test Centre addresses any possible comments, prepares a final report and resubmits it to the ICAR Expert Panel through the ICAR Secretariat within 21 days of the receipt of the comments.
• After another 21-day review period, the ICAR Expert Panel provides its recommendation on validation output to ICAR Certification with a notification to the applicant.
• In case of a successful test for validation, ICAR will grant an ICAR certificate of validation to the applicant.
• All ICAR-validated claims are published on the ICAR website, including pictures of the device, year of validation, species and information on the certified claim.

Figure 1. Flowchart for ICAR validation

Testing procedure methane sniffers

The testing procedure consists of two stages: Firstly, the sniffer will be tested in the Air Quality Lab of Wageningen University and Research (Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands) and after the sniffer producing company and Wageningen University and Research agree on continuing the test procedure, the sniffer will be tested on farm at the innovation and research center DairyCampus; the official ICAR Test Centre (Boksumerdyk 11, 8912 CA Leeuwarden, the Netherlands).

Test in Air Quality Lab of Wageningen University and Research

At the Air Quality Lab known concentrations of CH₄ and, if applicable, CO₂ will be offered to the sniffers to validate the output of the sniffers. The offered CH₄ concentrations are within a range of 100 ppm to 2,000 ppm and, if applicable, for CO₂ within a range of 1,000 ppm to 10,000 ppm. The test procedure stipulates to start with the lowest concentration going to the highest concentration and back to also capture the capability of the sniffer to record sinking gas concentrations. At the lab, moisture sensitivity will also be tested for the sniffers. Here a known CH₄ gas concentration is offered, and the level of relative humidity is increased in 5 steps from 0 ‘dry’ gas to 90-95%, which is the maximum amount. The recorded measures, the response time of the sniffer, the repeatability and the effect of moisture in the lab test will be documented and analyzed.  

On farm test on DairyCampus

Field testing of the sniffers will be conducted on the DairyCampus farm. The barn in which the test will be conducted has a milking robot (DeLaval) as well as a GreenFeed unit (c-Lock Inc.) measuring the gas fluxes of CH₄ and CO_2. The sniffer will be installed for 3 months continuously at the milking robot. The repeatability of repeated measurements on the same cow on the same day, as well as the correlation with GreenFeed measurements on the same cow on the same day will be calculated and missing measurements will be documented. The ranking of the animals from low to high emitters will be compared.

Further, once per month the lung method will be applied to validate the output from the sniffers in the field. This is done by placing two gas collection bins next to the milking robot and collecting air samples from the same tube as the sniffers. We will collect samples at three different time points during the day. Each sample collected will be from an approximately 2-hour time period, in duplo (duplicate of air sampling at the same time). This collected gas will then be sent to the air-quality lab to be analyzed with gas chromatography (GC) to determine the concentrations of CH₄ and CO₂ in each bag. The results from this GC analysis will be compared to the average gas measurements from the sniffers over the same time period.