CAC, PAUL VNCENT E.

BSME 4-1

WRITTEN REPORT

CHEMICAL SENSORS

CARBON DIOXIDE SENSOR

A carbon dioxide sensor can detect and measure the presence of carbon dioxide. Indoor air quality
monitoring, landfill monitoring, process management, and controlled environment horticulture are all
typical uses for CO2 detectors.

Even though carbon dioxide is difficult to detect, Edinburgh Sensors' CO2 detectors use the strong
absorption of non-dispersive infrared technology to monitor carbon dioxide. NDIR sensors are not only
reliable and simple to use for continuous monitoring, but they also enable highly sensitive detection for
gases like CO2. This is since gases like methane and carbon dioxide absorb infrared light very strongly
and have distinct fingerprint signals that allow for unambiguous identification of even trace amounts of
gas.

MG-811 (SEN0159) - GRAVITY：ANALOG ELECTROCHEMISTRY CO2 SENSOR

DESCRIPTION

This is the first CO2 sensor in the Arduino market. As the CO2 concentration rises, the module's output
voltage falls. The potentiometer onboard is used to set the voltage threshold. A digital signal (ON/OFF)
will be released if the CO2 concentration is high enough (the voltage is lower than the threshold).

It has an MG-811 sensor module that is highly sensitive to CO2 and less sensitive to alcohol and CO, as
well as a low humidity and temperature dependency.

APPLICATION

Air Quality Control

Ferment Process Control
Room Temperature CO2 concentration Detection
SPECIFICATION

OPERATING VOLTAGE 3.7～5V

OUTPUT Gravity: Analog
(Analog2.7～4.1V)
MEASURING PRINCIPLE Electrochemistry
（Solid electrolyte battery principle）
MEASUREMENT RANGE 0～10000 ppm
ACCURACY ±100ppm@400ppm
RESPONSE TIME <20s
AVERAGE POWER <1W
OPERATION TEMPERATURE -20℃～50℃
OPERATION HUMIDITY 0～95% RH (No condensation)
LIFESPAN >1 year

WORKING PRINCIPLE

An electrical current passes through a sensing electrode produced by an electrochemical reaction that
occurs at the surface of a sensing electrode coated with a catalyst in order for the sensor to function.

The carbon dioxide sensor uses a solid electrolyte cell principle. This principle is applied through the
exposure of the sensor to CO2. This exposure forms an electrode reaction in accordance to Nernst’s
equation.

BLOCK DIAGRAM
 SEN0220 - GRAVITY：UART IR CO2 SENSOR

DESCRIPTION

This sensor is based on non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology and has good selectivity as well as
oxygen independence. Temperature compensation is built in, and UART communication mode is
supported. Most importantly, the product is simple to use and works with all types of microcontrollers
that have a UART port, such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and other microcontrollers. Furthermore, it has a
long service life of up to 5 years. Furthermore, this UART Infrared CO2 Sensor is a high-performance
sensor that combines mature infrared absorption gas detection technology with precision optical circuit
design and sophisticated circuit design. It has features like wide detection range, high sensitivity, high
resolution, low power consumption, fast response, anti-water vapor interference, no poisoning, high
stability, and long life.

APPLICATION

Air Quality Control

Ferment Process Control
Room Temperature CO2 concentration Detection

SPECIFICATION

OPERATING VOLTAGE 4.5～5.5V

OUTPUT Gravity: UART
(0～3.3V Level)
MEASURING PRINCIPLE NDIR (non-dispersive infrared)
MEASUREMENT RANGE 0～50000 ppm
ACCURACY ±(100ppm + 6% readings)
RESPONSE TIME <30s
AVERAGE POWER <430mW@5V
OPERATION TEMPERATURE 0℃～50℃
OPERATION HUMIDITY 0～95% RH (No condensation)
LIFESPAN >5 years

WORKING PRINCIPLE

NDIR gas sensor consist of an infrared source, detector, optical filter, gas cell, and electronics for signal
processing. A gas sensor with a single light source and dual wavelengths has two detectors and two
optical filters of different wavelengths placed in front of each detector. Infrared light absorbed by a
target gas passes through an active filter with a specific bandwidth to detect the target gas. The
reference filter filters out infrared light that does not interact with the target gas. The difference in
transmitted light intensities between these two bandwidths is converted to gas concentration.

The dual wavelength sensor ensures stable measurements for a long period of operation as the aging
effects of the light source, or the gas cell are automatically compensated by output signals at the
reference wavelength. Mid-infrared radiation through sample gas causes resonance of gas molecules at
their natural frequency with the infrared light in the spectrum region where the energy level of infrared
is equivalent to the natural frequency of gas molecules, resulting in absorption of infrared by gas
molecules in the form of molecular vibration.

The Lambert-Beer law expresses the relationship between infrared transmittance and gas concentration.

BLOCK DIAGRAM
 DIRECT COMPARISON OF BOTH SENSORS

GRAVITY：ANALOG GRAVITY：UART IR CO2 SENSOR

ELECTROCHEMISTRY CO2
SENSOR
OPERATING VOLTAGE 3.7～5V 4.5～5.5V
OUTPUT Gravity: Analog Gravity: UART
(Analog2.7～4.1V) (0～3.3V Level)
MEASURING PRINCIPLE Electrochemistry NDIR (non-dispersive infrared)
（Solid electrolyte battery
principle）
MEASUREMENT RANGE 0～10000 ppm 0～50000 ppm
ACCURACY ±100ppm@400ppm ±(100ppm + 6% readings)
RESPONSE TIME <20s <30s
AVERAGE POWER <1W <430Mw@5V
OPERATION TEMPERATURE -20℃～50℃ 0℃～50℃
OPERATION HUMIDITY 0～95% RH (No condensation) 0～95% RH (No condensation)
LIFESPAN >1 year >5 years
FEATURES Large Range High Accuracy
Adjustable Alarm Threshold Large Range
Fast Response Long Lifespan
Analog Output Auto Temperature Compensation
Water Vapor Interference
Resistance
3.3V UART Output

REFERENCES
https://edinburghsensors.com/news-and-events/carbon-dioxide-measurement-using-a-carbon-dioxide-
sensor/

https://image.dfrobot.com/image/data/SEN0159/CO2b%20MG811%20datasheet.pdf

https://www.dfrobot.com/product-1023.html

https://www.dfrobot.com/product-1565.html

https://www.figaro.co.jp/en/technicalinfo/principle/ndir-type.html?
fbclid=IwAR3bp0dV4H_6vpK0q6hfAL5i07wsbEccyY9B_jsQjSggaLj6LHB5knSIE5g