The AWAIRE project tackled a critical climate challenge at wastewater treatment plants: accurately quantifying nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, a greenhouse gas with 273 times more warming potential than CO₂ and responsible for up to 78% of a plant’s operational carbon footprint.
Led by Explicit and funded by the Danish Environmental Technology Development Program (MUDP), the team successfully adapted Explicit’s DFM™ technology – originally developed for methane detection – to quantify N₂O emissions with high precision.
During extensive field surveys at BIOFOS Avedøre, the DFM™ method demonstrated consistency with established measurement techniques while overcoming limitations of methods that rely on indirect calculations. Comparative testing showed DFM™ measurements aligned well within expected measurement uncertainty ranges.
In April 2025, Explicit’s N₂O measurement method received accreditation under DS/EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017, validating its reliability. This technique can enable treatment plant operators to pinpoint emission hotspots, validate continuous monitoring systems, and implement targeted reduction strategies.
