Baseline-MOCON's New BevAlert Gas Analyzer Offers Improved Sensitivity To CO₂ Impurities

Lyons, CO — Baseline-MOCON, Inc., a subsidiary of MOCON is launching a new gas chromatograph which monitors trace impurities in carbon dioxide (CO₂). The BevAlert™ Model 8900 analyzer offers improved testing sensitivity across a wider range of gases and eliminates the need for multiple instruments.

Traditionally, two separate units have been required to test CO₂ for the presence of acetaldehyde and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene) contaminants. The testing is used by the food and beverage industry and specialty gas manufacturers to monitor and eliminate trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in CO₂ used in bottling beverages.

"Increasingly, bottlers are mandating to CO₂ gas suppliers that such analysis is done to help insure a higher quality product," says Bob Forsberg, president, Baseline-MOCON. "Our unit provides data to help meet those quality objectives."

The BevAlert Model 8900 is the first analyzer that can detect the presence of both acetaldehyde and BTEX VOCs via one unit vs. what traditionally has required two separate pieces of instrumentation. The new unit allows plant operators to significantly reduce capital outlay for this type of instrumentation, while at the same time being able to detect even smaller amounts of a wider range of gases.

At the core of the BevAlert Model 8900 is a state-of-the-art photoionization detector (PID) which is used as the sensing element. Baseline-MOCON's application chemists have been able to create a PID detector-based unit which not only combines analysis which formerly required two units, but also provides the ability to look at the various compounds with a greater sensitivity than previous methods. Other advantages include easy access (behind the hinged front panel) of the PID detector for service and maintenance.

The BevAlert Model 8900 is ideal for a wide variety of beverage applications (water, carbonated drinks, beer, etc.), as well as quick frozen foods. Customization options are also available for indoor or outdoor air quality analysis, oil and gas exploration and other trace impurities in specialty gases.

SOURCE: Baseline - MOCON, Inc.