Why is it important to monitor carbon dioxide concentration?
Carbon dioxide, one of the main components of air, is an inorganic substance that is not flammable and does not support combustion. In the natural environment, the normal level of carbon dioxide in the air is 0.04 per cent (400 ppm), sometimes up to 500 ppm in large cities. when a room is empty, the concentration of carbon dioxide is usually in the range of 500 to 700 ppm. carbon dioxide can build up in confined spaces, causing health and safety hazards. carbon dioxide can displace or deplete oxygen, causing dizziness, confusion, shortness of breath, unconsciousness, and even asphyxiation at unsafe concentration levels.
In the short term, excessive carbon dioxide concentration will not have much effect on the human body. However, if we live and work in an environment with excessive carbon dioxide for a long period of time, it will bring great harm to the human body. Therefore, it is necessary to use CO2 sensors to monitor CO2 concentration in an environment where CO2 concentration varies greatly.
With the continuous progress of modern society, CO2 sensors are widely used to optimize our production and life, such as monitoring the CO2 level in agricultural greenhouses and ventilating them in time to increase crop yields; and monitoring the CO2 concentration in mines to ensure the safety of workers. And so on. In addition, the human body is very sensitive to the increase of carbon dioxide in the air. Every 0.5 per cent increase in CO2 levels causes a significant reaction in the body.
In addition, CO2 is an important element for photosynthesis in plants. It can be said that without CO2, nature is not alive. Because of this, CO2 is an essential parameter in plant experiments. That is why CO2 sensors are used in agricultural greenhouses.
There are two main types of CO2 sensors in common use before, one is based on solid electrolyte and the other is based on infrared principle. The principle of solid electrolyte sensors is that the gas-sensitive material produces ions when it passes through the gas, which results in an electric potential, and the gas concentration is measured by measuring the electric potential. Due to their high conductivity, high sensitivity and good selectivity characteristics, these sensors are widely used. The principle of infrared carbon dioxide sensors is based on the absorption of specific bands of infrared radiation by carbon dioxide, which attenuates the radiant energy passing through the measuring chamber. The degree of attenuation depends on the measured CO2 content in the CO2 gas.
Elevated CO2 concentrations not only significantly increase the photosynthetic efficiency of plants, but also promote photosynthesis by expanding the range of light sources utilized. The concentration of CO2 in the air is relatively stable and does not change much, generally 0.03% ----0.04%, this concentration at a temperature of 25 ℃ or less, with the increase in temperature, photosynthesis is enhanced, the creation of organic matter increased, the crop shows vigorous growth; when the temperature exceeds 30 ℃, photosynthesis creates the same organic matter as that consumed by respiration in the crop, or even Less than the organic matter consumed by respiration, the crop stops growing.
Therefore, it is very important to monitor the CO2 concentration in greenhouses, and the infrared CO2 sensors that are more famous in the market at present, the performance difference is not too much, so you can choose according to your own needs.
