Fourier transform–near infrared spectroscopy, generally referred to as FT-NIR, is a rapidly growing process analytical technique. The technique has a number of inherent advantages over other spectroscopy techniques for online monitoring, and is now used widely across a number of contrasting industries.
Fourier transform–near infrared spectroscopy, generally referred to as FT-NIR, is a rapidly growing process analytical technique. The technique has a number of inherent advantages over other spectroscopy techniques for online monitoring, and is now used widely across a number of contrasting industries.
The requirements of almost any online process instrument include reliability, rapid analysis, and consistent performance. An FT-NIR spectrometer relies on a much less complex mechanical design than traditional dispersive NIR instruments, which allows fewer opportunities for something to go wrong. FT-based spectroscopy instruments analyze the entire spectrum simultaneously, which is useful in analyzing continuous flows, or monitoring changing mixtures. NIR also tends to be better for quantitation, whereas mid-infrared spectroscopy generally is more suited to qualitative analyses, although there are numerous exceptions to both.
Process FT-NIR Industrial Demand
Although process FT-NIR is applied significantly across a number of contrasting industries, it is in the petroleum and hydrocarbon processing industry where it is by far most heavily used. All of the inherent advantages of the technique are needed to monitor various refinery processes in real-time, which is even more important given health and safety concerns in such facilities. The global market for process FT-NIR was worth over $50 million in 2007, and should see double-digit growth, thanks to increased activity in the petroleum and biofuels industry, as well as continued strong growth in the pharmaceutical industry.
The foregoing data were based on SDi's Market Analysis and Perspectives (MAP) Report program. For more information, contact Stuart Press, Vice President — Strategic Analysis, Strategic Directions International, Inc., 6242 Westchester Parkway, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90045; (310) 641-4982, fax: (310) 641-8851, www.strategic-directions.com.
Improving Fluorescence and Raman Techniques for Environmental Microplastic Analysis
March 31st 2025A recent study conducted at the LaserLaB Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands) explored spectroscopic imaging techniques, including Raman and fluorescence microscopy, for characterizing microplastics (MPs), focusing on optimizing sample preparation, particularly density separation, and Nile Red staining.Spectroscopy spoke to Merel Konings, corresponding author of the paper resulting from the study, about her work
New Study Provides Insights into Chiral Smectic Phases
March 31st 2025Researchers from the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences have unveiled new insights into the molecular arrangement of the 7HH6 compound’s smectic phases using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy.