NIR Spectroscopy Takes Laboratory Equipment into the Field
by Dave Rzasa, CEO and President, ASD Inc.
NIR spectroscopy online in a mine provides real-time analysis of mineral content for optimized process control. |
Swing open the doors on many world-wide industries today and you’ll find World War II era techniques in use that were cutting edge when raw materials were plentiful and profits fat. Today, Chinese, Russian, Brazilian and Indian consumers and businesses are devouring raw materials and finished goods as fast as manufacturers can produce and deliver them. China currently consumes 22 percent of the world’s copper production, 23 percent of the aluminum, and 16 percent of the nickel1, and these figures will likely continue at their present 20 percent growth per year.2
This global hunger for goods in turn is driving commodity prices to record highs. Companies and manufacturers are scrambling for technologies that can leapfrog them from the era of acceptable waste to automated information.
Spectroscopy has been measuring numerous raw materials for years, but traditionally they have been large, expensive devices confined to a laboratory. What used to require the processing power of a mainframe computer the size of a Cadillac Escalade, with an even larger price tag, is now accomplished with a $500 laptop. Further, many systems are scalable, allowing companies to buy only what they need now and add later to meet growing needs.
Spectroscopy Provides Data from Light
Businesses are seeking technology that can help reduce waste, gain efficiency, boost or maintain profitability, and make operations better, faster and cheaper. One solution that is gaining increased attention is near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. It is a proven technology that can spot counterfeit, defective, or suboptimal material composition and provides manufacturers with a quick, non-destructive and cost-effective way to measure materials. Here’s how it works: Every organic and mineral compound carries its own, unique spectral “fingerprint” determined by its molecular composition. That fingerprint provides a positive identification of different materials (qualitative analysis) and a direct indication of the amount of material present (quantitative analysis). It can be used online, at line, or in the lab for rapid, non-contact, non-destructive measurements, offering a practical alternative to traditional testing methods.
NIR spectroscopy increases efficiencies in industries world-wide including, but not limited to, wood products, mining, and agriculture. For many processes, an instrument can be incorporated directly into the production process for real-time testing and monitoring.
As an example, producers of engineered wood and oriented strand board (OSB) use NIR spectroscopy for both quality control and efficiency. A two-percent deficiency of resin in engineered wood products results in a product that does not meet specifications—a bad batch. A two-percent over application of resin costs the manufacturer $150,000 to $200,000 per year. NIR instruments monitor for resin content while testing for other contaminants like moisture, which can ruin an entire run.
Traditional batch or sampling techniques often require running a product through an entire production process, destroying and examining it, and then determining whether it met quality standards. This process holds up production until problems can be located and remedied and then forces the manufacturer to downgrade the entire run of boards if any are suboptimal.
NIR instrumentation used to test for tenderness online at a beef processing plant. |
One industry that relies heavily on NIR spectroscopy is mining exploration. Base metals and diamond exploration budgets are at record levels, and gold exploration budgets are also seeing strong growth. Exploration budgets for nonferrous metals in 2005 were estimated at $5.1 billion USD, a 34-percent increase from 2004 and a 168-percent increase from the low of 2002.3 Even with global demand for raw materials being nearly insatiable, exploration with standard technology is cost prohibitive. Field-based spectroscopy, using a device that fits into a backpack, allows geologists to test samples on location to determine the probability of finding minerals at a given site. The technology is taking mine exploration from a sophisticated game pin the tail on the donkey to a targeted discovery and removal process.
People getting ready to blow what was once a week’s wages on a high-end steak dinner are also benefiting from NIR spectroscopy, but they don’t know it. Beef processors are using NIR spectroscopy as a competitive advantage to certify steaks as tender and charging a premium, which people are happy to pay for a guaranteed tender steak.
Even just a few years ago the value of NIR spectroscopy—increased productivity, online measurement, quality control, heightened sophistication and lower scrap rates—didn’t make sense. It was too expensive and just wasn’t worth it, especially when saddled with the high cost of computing power. Today the benefits of NIR spectroscopy are critical to businesses around the globe in nearly every industry.
Like most analytic instrumentation, NIR spectroscopy is often ignored, but it is a key enabler of the new global economy.
References
1. Citigroup
2. BMO Financial Group
3. Metals Economics Group
For more information, contact Dave Rzasa, CEO and president of ASD Inc., at dave.rzasa@asdi.com or by phone at 303-444-6522 or visit www.asdi.com.
