Environmental issues such as climate change, pollution and air quality have a very high profile with both government and the public Clarity of water is important in producing products destined for human consumption and in many manufacturing operations.  Accurate measurements play a vital role in gauging the scale of anthropogenic and naturally driven effects, pollutant concentrations and the development of strategies to mitigate short- and long-term impacts.

The most common types of measurements are gravimetric (weighing), electrochemical (using meters with electrodes) and optical (including visual). Instrumental methods are becoming increasingly popular, and instrumentation is getting "smarter" and easier to use with the inclusion of microprocessors. Most environmental analyses involve measuring very low concentrations of materials. The results of these measurements are usually expressed in the units "milligrams per liter," abbreviated as mg/L. Since a milligram is one thousandth of a gram, and a liter of water weighs about a thousand grams, a mg/L is approximately equal to one part per million by weight. A part per million ("ppm") is only one ten thousandth of one percent. For toxic metals and organic compounds of industrial origin, measurements are now routinely made in the part per billion (microgram per liter) range or even lower. At such low levels, sensitive equipment and careful technique are clearly necessary for accurate results. Avoiding contamination of the sample and using methods, which prevent interferences from other substances in the sample, are crucial requirements for successful analyses.

Solutions

Elico’s instrumentation provide high quality, cost effective pollution monitoring and analysis services. Our Water Quality Analyzer (PE138), a dedicated instrument to measure different parameters in water encompassing three technologies of electrochemistry, colorimetric and turbidimetric, is one complete solution for water and wastewater analysis.