Line 01 · Testing & Characterization
Before you invest in a solution, you need to know what is in the gas, how much, and how far it travels. We measure at your operation, under international standards and with an accredited laboratory, so your next decision rests on data.
Traceability
Sampling to ASTM, EPA, NIOSH, and ISO methods, with chain of custody.
The problem
A control system gets bought, sized on an estimated flow rate. An upgrading unit gets installed without knowing how much sulfur the gas carries. A regulatory request gets answered with a perception instead of a concentration. In all three cases the equipment runs, but the problem is still there — and the budget is already spent.
What we measure
You can contract one of them, or the full campaign with one point of responsibility and one report.
Full composition, impurities, and energy constants. This is what determines whether your gas works for engine generation, for upgrading, or for grid injection, and what pretreatment it needs first.
Dynamic olfactometry to quantify odor concentration, and dispersion modeling to know how far it travels and who it reaches. This is the evidence that supports a response to the environmental authority.
Characterization of the streams leaving your process and of what reaches the surroundings. You need it to size a control system, to verify that it complies, and to document it.
Flow measurement in ducts and piping, and air balancing of ventilation and exhaust systems. It almost always shows that the installed system is not moving the airflow the design promised.
Some of the standards we work to
| Parameter | Method / standard | Sampling medium |
|---|---|---|
| Biogas and biomethane composition | ASTM D1945 · D1946 · D3588 | Canister · Tedlar bag |
| Sulfur compounds and mercaptans | ASTM D5504 · D6228 | Passivated cylinder · Tedlar bag |
| Siloxanes and silanols | ASTM D8230 | Sorbent tube · passivated cylinder |
| Volatile organic compounds | EPA TO-15 · TO-17 | Canister · sorbent tube |
| Halogenated compounds | EPA OTM-40 · NIOSH 1003 | Sorbent tube |
| Ammonia | NIOSH 6015 | Impregnated sorbent tube |
| Metals (As, Cu, Sb, Pb, Hg) | NIOSH 7303 · 6009 · 5528 | MCE filter · Anasorb tube |
| Heating value and Wobbe index | ASTM D3588 · ISO 6976 | Canister · Tedlar bag |
| Dew point | ASTM D5454-11 | In-line analyzer |
How we do it
That is why the procedure weighs as much as the result: if the sample degrades or traceability breaks, the number is worth nothing in front of a regulator.
We define which decision depends on this measurement. The parameters come from that, not from a generic list.
A campaign at your operation with the right medium for each compound: canister, Tedlar bag, passivated cylinder, or sorbent tube.
Specialized transport, including international shipping of flammable substances, without breaking traceability.
Testing in an accredited laboratory under the declared method for each parameter.
Quantification of each pollutant and what it means: for your equipment, your regulatory requirements, and your next investment.
What backs it up
We work with a network of partner laboratories accredited to ISO 17025, and every parameter is reported with the method it was analyzed under. Without that, a result is an opinion.
The ISO 17025 accreditation belongs to the partner laboratories that run the tests. PRONTA designs the campaign, takes the samples, keeps the chain of custody, and interprets the results.
A case
Sample biogas under demanding operating conditions, without compromising sample integrity or its traceability, and quantify the critical contaminants that affect engine generation and upgrading systems.
Sampling campaigns to international standards, characterization of sulfur compounds and mercaptans, siloxane analysis with calculation of the Silicon Index, measurement of volatile organic compounds and of methane and non-methane compounds, and specialized international transport for analysis in an accredited laboratory.
The operators now decide on maintenance and on upgrading sizing with traceable data, not with estimates.
3
WWTPs characterized
2 cities
Antioquia and Bogotá
Silicon
Index
Direct input to the maintenance plan
ISO 17025
Analysis in an accredited laboratory
Contact
Tell us what decision you are facing and we will propose the measurement campaign that supports it. If what you have already measured is enough, we will tell you that too.