Mobile Ecological Laboratory

Mobile Ecological Laboratory (MEL), a property of KAPE, is used for measuring air pollutants content and concentration in the environment. The right for such operations is granted by Certificate No. 039 issued by the Almaty Branch of the National Center of Expert Panel and Certification OJSC, confirming the precision of its scientific equipment. The laboratory is stationed on the modified chassis of GAZ 3308 “SADKO” and GAZ 6601 to enhance off-road capability. 
 
Functions:
Mobile Ecological Laboratory (MEL) is used for measuring air pollutants content and concentration in ambient air and the air at industrial facilities, automatic monitoring of meteorological parameters, express analysis of physical and chemical properties of water, sample analysis of air, water, sediments and soils, monitoring of industrial emissions and radiation contamination of the environment. 
 
Application Area:

• Baseline ecological survey;
• Compliance monitoring of oil-gas production enterprises, chemical and petrochemical, mining and other environmentally hazardous industries;
• Ecological monitoring of populated areas;
• Analytical control of composition of industrial emissions from enterprises;
• Studies of radiation level in certain areas and at industrial facilities.

MEL equipment:

MEL’s gas-analytical package of equipment allows for automatic monitoring of air pollution level and pollution of air at operational area with carbon oxide, nitrogen oxide and dioxide, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, total hydrocarbons and methane. For this purposes the following gas analyzers are used: К-100, Р-310, СВ-320, Cascade-511.2, MGL-19.2 (manufacturer: “Optek”, Russia) and THC-2000 (manufacturer: “Seres”, France).

Meteorological electronic monitoring system WM-918 (manufacturer: “HUGER”, Germany) records systematic measurements of atmospheric conditions, such as wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, humidity and precipitation.

Industrial emissions are monitored with the portable gas analyzer MSI-Compact (manufacturer: “Drager”, Germany) for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and dioxide, carbon oxide and oxygen, as well as gas pressure inside the flue, flow speed and temperature of emissions into the environment.

Express analysis of physical and chemical properties of natural water and wastewater is conducted with Portable Laboratory-Complex “OB’” (Russia) and water quality analyzer “HORIBA” U-10 (Japan) to determine Ph and Eh levels, specific electrical conductivity, dissolved О2, Cl-, SO4, HCO3, Ca2+, Mg2+, sediment and salt concentration.

Radiation monitoring is conducted with dosimeter-radiometer MKS 1117A to measure gamma-ray exposure strength and alpha-beta particle radiation density.

Auxiliary equipment includes water and sediment samplers (bathometers, dredgers) and refrigerated containers for storage during delivery to stationary laboratories.