It is estimated that there are a total of 17 million chemical compounds on the market, including as many as 100,000 that are produced on a large industrial scale.
The importance of environmental analysis – online and at-line
The rapid growth in the world population has led to sharp increases in the consumption of energy and resources and in the production of consumer goods and chemicals. It is estimated that there are a total of 17 million chemical compounds on the market, including as many as 100,000 that are produced on a large industrial scale. Substances introduced into the environment are distributed among the environmental compartments water (hydrosphere), soil (pedosphere), rock (lithosphere), and air (atmosphere), as well as among the organisms living on them (biosphere).
Water
As its physical state changes, water passes through all spheres. It is the most frequently analysed environmental compartment and is also the easiest, because – unlike air or soil – it already exists in the liquid phase. If drinking water samples are to be analyzed, sample preparation is usually not necessary; however, it is usually unavoidable in the case of wastewater samples.
Air
The atmosphere is an important thermal buffer against space, and protects the earth from cosmic radiation. It is the place where clouds are formed and water is present there in all its physical states. Thus it is a heterogeneous mixture of finely dispersed, solid or liquid particles in a gas (air). Its constituents are characterized by extreme mobility, enter our bodies easily through breathing, and influence the climate and weather. Filter methods, and aerosol and gas collectors bring the constituents of air into the aqueous phase, which is preferable for chemical analysis.
We can only protect the environment and its inhabitants if we know the type and quantity of these contaminants. This requires internationally accepted standards, in which limits and test methods are defined. Metrohm instruments comply with numerous environmental standards, which can be found within the three Environmental branch sites here: https://www.metrohm.com/en-au/industries/
2035 Process Analyzer – customized online monitoring of industrial processes and wastewater
The 2035 Process Analyzer is a dedicated turnkey solution for 24/7 online monitoring of industrial processes as well as water and wastewater.
Metrohm process applications
for environmental analyses
Potable (Drinking) Water:
- Aluminum [Al3+] in drinking water (Potable water)
- Ammonia [NH3] in drinking water (Drinking water monitoring)
- Ammonia [NH3] in tap water (outlet waste water, WWTP)
- Boron for water in desalination plants (Water treatment process)
- Chloride [Cl-] in outlet Carbon Filter (Drinking water, Outlet Carbon Filter)
- Free Cyanide [CN-] in drinking water (Drinking water monitoring)
- Fluoride [F-] in drinking water (Drinking water monitoring)
- Iron(II) [Fe2+] + Iron(III) [Fe3+] in drinking water (Drinking water treatment)
- Langelier Saturation Index (Hardness) in drinking water (Potable water)
- Manganese [Mn2+] in outlet drinking water (Outlet to Storage, Potable water)
- Nitrite [NO -] in drinking water (Drink water quality self-monitoring)
- Phenol [C H OH] in drinking water (Drinking water monitoring)
River and Surface Waters:
- Ammonia [NH ] + Nitrate [NO -] in river water (River Water Monitoring)
- Ammonium [NH +] in river water (River Water Monitoring)
- Boron in Surface Water (Surface Water Monitoring)
- Cadmium [Cd], Lead [Pb], Copper [Cu], + Zinc [Zn] in river and surface waters (River Water Monitoring, Surface Water Monitoring)
- Chloride [Cl-] in surface water (Surface Water Monitoring)
- Hexavalent Chromium [Cr6+] in surface and river waters (River Water Monitoring, Surface Water Monitoring)
- Copper [Cu+ / Cu2+] in surface water (Surface Water Monitoring)
- Free Cyanide [CN-] in river and surface waters (River Water Monitoring, Surface Water Monitoring)
- Manganese [Mn2+] in surface water (Surface Water Monitoring) Nickel [Ni2+] in surface water (Surface Water Monitoring)
- Nitrate [NO -] in river water (River Water Monitoring)
- Phenol [C6H5OH] in river and surface waters (River Water Inlet, WWTP, Surface Water Monitoring)
- Ortho-Phosphate [PO 3-] in river water (River Control, River Water Monitoring)
- Phosphate [PO 3-], Total Phosphate (TP), + Chemical Oxygen Demand [COD] in surface water (Surface Water Monitoring)
- Sulfate [SO 2-] in surface water (Environmental control of river water, River Water Monitoring)
- Zinc [Zn2+] in surface water (Surface Water Monitoring)
Air Pollution:
Icon Analyzer from Metrohm Process Analytics
Dedicated online analyser for 24/7 process monitoring. Based on your requirements, we provide a turnkey solution including the sampling system to help you keep your process within the specs!
Metrohm Process Analytics offers several analytical techniques in many different analyser configurations for any need: titration, photometry, ion chromatography, NIR spectroscopy, and ion-selective measurements. Metrohm online process analysers and custom sample preconditioning systems are manufactured in the Netherlands and supported by Metrohm service engineers nationwide.
