The water industry uses a wide range of instrumentation for the on-line measurement of water and wastewater quality. For applications such as intake protection, there is a requirement to detect low probability but high impact events. For these applications the reliability, response time and confidence in the measurement are of critical importance. New advanced monitoring technologies which offer solutions to these issues are available and in use within other industries. However, the transfer of technology into the water industry is challenging and, for many reasons, often fails. Successful technology adoption requires a reasoned, considered and stepwise approach to the assessment of the benefits, costs and practicalities.
Ion Mobility Spectroscopy (IMS) is an established analytical technique used to separate and identify ionized molecules in the gas phase based on their mobility. The technique is widely employed for military or security purposes, such as detecting drugs, explosives and chemical weapons, but also has many laboratory analytical applications, e.g. in the pharmaceutical sector. IMS appears to offer great potential for on-line continuous monitoring of both water and wastewaters.
WRc has started a new Collaborative Portfolio project, "Evaluation of Ion Mobility Spectroscopy (CP429)", where the objective is to assess the suitability of this technology to water industry applications. The work will:
- review the technology and determine the application and contaminants with most potential and where efforts should be focused.
- determine the analytical performance for a selection of contaminants using a representative range of samples.
- estimate the whole life costs of operating the instrument including any additional equipment.
- investigate the water industry specific issues associated with on-line measurements, such as whether the
- instrument could be operated with a realistic level of maintenance and the skill level required of operator.
Further details are available from Jörgen Jönsson at jorgen.jonsson@wrcplc.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 1793 865101.