Laser Methane Detector
NOTE: This version of Section 20 has been approved by the working group's Chair. Please be aware that further revisions may occur before final review and approval by the Board and ICAR members per the Approval of Page Process.
The laser CH4 detector (LMD) is a highly responsive, hand-held device that is pointed at an animal’s nostrils and measures CH4 column density along the length of the laser beam (ppm.m). In the first implementation of LMD on a farm, measurements for each cow were taken over periods of 15 to 25 seconds between eructation events and could detect CH4 emitted each time the animal breathed out (Chagunda et al., 2009[1], Sorg et al., 2016[2], Sorg et al., 2017[3]). In a later study with sheep and beef cattle, monitoring periods of 2 to 4 minutes allowed authors to separate breathing cycles from eructation events (Ricci et al., 2014[4]). Typically, animals are restrained either manually or in head yokes at a feed fence for the required length of time. The operator has to stand at the same distance (1 to 3 m) from each animal every time and must be careful to keep the laser pointed at the animal’s nostrils throughout the measurement period.
- ↑ Chagunda, M.G.G., Ross, D., and Robert,s D J. 2009. On the use of a laser methane detector in dairy cows. Comput. Electron. Agric. 68:157-160.
- ↑ Sorg, D., Mühlbach, S., Rosner, F., Kuhla, B., Derno, M., Meese, S., Schwarm, A., Kreuzer, M., and Swalve, H. 2016. The agreement between two next-generation laser methane detectors and respiration chamber facilities in recording methane concentrations in the spent air produced by dairy cows. Comp. Electr. Agric. 143:262-272.
- ↑ Sorg, D., Difford, G.F., Mühlbach, S., Kuhla, B., Swalve, H.H., Lassen, J., Strabel, T., and Pszczola, M. 2017. Comparison of a laser methane detector with the GreenFeed and two breath analysers for on-farm measurements of methane emissions from dairy cows. Comp. Elec. Agric. 153:285-294.
- ↑ Ricci, P., Chagunda, M.G.G., Rooke, J., Houdijk, J.G.M., Duthie, C-A., Hyslop, J., Roehe, R., and Waterhouse, A. 2014. Evaluation of the laser methane detector to estimate methane emissions from ewes and steers. J. Anim. Sci. 92:5239-5250.
