Analytical Technology's Q45N Dissolved Ammonia Monitor achieves continuous, on-line monitoring of ammonia levels in raw water from rivers.
Continuous monitoring of ammonia in river water is important for plant operations and environmental agencies.
Analytical Technology's dissolved-ammonia monitor enables organisations to effectively measure the levels of ammonia in river water.
River-water quality is assessed by the Environment Agency through the General Quality Assessment (GQA) scheme and it is essential that potentially harmful chemicals in river water are controlled.
Ammonia is an important nutrient for plants and algae that reside in river water.
However, when river temperatures change, ionised ammonia changes to un-ionised ammonia gas.
This can be fatal to fish and other water organisms in the river; it is therefore important that ammonia levels are continuously monitored.
Water quality is also important for water-treatment plants using river water as the water source.
High ammonia levels in the inlet water cause major problems in the disinfection process.
By successfully measuring the ammonia content in river water at inlets to water-treatment plants, organisations can protect the inlet supply.
In some applications, when ammonia levels hit unacceptably high levels, the inlet can be closed.
Current ammonia-monitoring technology is expensive and complex.
It uses ion-selective electrodes and costly reagents, which are toxic and difficult to dispose of.
These monitors are also non-specific and require continuous calibration to suit different needs such as wastewater treatment, potable water treatment and measuring levels of ammonia in river water.
Ion-selective electrodes typically need daily zeroing and calibration using reagents.
With the Q45N Dissolved Ammonia Monitor, ammonia is converted to a stable monochloramine compound, equivalent in concentration to the original ammonia level.
The chloramine concentration is then measured with a polarographic membraned sensor that selectively responds linearly to chloramines.
The reaction chemistry gives the monitor excellent sensitivity, even at very low (ppb) ammonia levels.
Reagents are simple and inexpensive and their usage is low.
As a consequence, the Q45N is cheap to run.
The monitor has two 4-20mA outputs programmable for free ammonia, total ammonia and monochloramine concentration.
This allows all the important parameters to be measured on a single instrument.
The larger UK water companies and some Environment Agency-approved laboratories are already using the Q45N monitor to effectively monitor ammonia levels in river water.
The Q45N provides users with a monitor that is simple to operate and economical to purchase, with low running costs and no measurement interferences.
