The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Bozeman-based Bridger Photonics a $345,000 grant to develop a compact carbon dioxide sensor that can be used at carbon sequestration sites to look for and map possible leaks.
The EPA announced the grant in a written statement posted to its website Wednesday.
Bridger Photonics’ device will be able to monitor CO2 emissions at carbon sequestration sites — sites where scientists hope it will be possible to permanently store vast volumes of CO2 safely underground. The CO2 sensor would help monitor those sites for leaks and provide three-dimensional maps of any CO2 emissions there.
The grant comes as part of the EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research program, which aims to provide $2.5 million to 11 companies to support research in a number of environmentally related fields.
Bridger Photonics was founded in 2006 by three laser physicists who attended Montana State University.