Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/843774
18 WET NEWS JULY 2017 The industry is rising to the challenge of measuring and removing more exotic and challenging priority substances. As a result, the standardisation shackles have been loosened. Nora Water Technologies' Guy Forrest-Hay explains. Standardisation – a doable Holy Grail INSIGHT Sampling & monitoring S tandardisation was part of the vocabulary of water service personnel on both sides of the Atlantic at the dawn of the Millennium. I certainly had the mantra drummed into me as I worked intensively in the fields of instrumentation and process mapping during the late-90s; achieving standardisation was at the forefront of virtually every discussion. The whole premise came over from Harvard University where many water company executives at the time were spending extended periods, with the aim of moving the industry post privatisation into the brave new commercial world. I remember enquiring with one leading water industry executive as to how the experience had been, to be met with the response: "I think it was a score draw!" Using case studies from the food, automotive and wider industry sectors, the significant and undoubted benefits of standardisation, as listed below, were emphasised by our stateside disciples: • Consistency of delivery and quality • Streamlined procurement • Simplified training requirements • Flexible workforce • Rationalised documentation • Reduced spares holding • Improvements in operation & maintenance • Standardised platforms and protocols for diagnostics and data communications A key area which embraced this and where major benefits were derived was in the field of instrumentation. It is fair to say that over the past decade, the standardisa- tion shackles have been loos- ened, and for good reason. The industry has had to rise to the challenge of measuring and removing more exotic and chal- lenging priority substances – with undoubtedly more to come parameters for providing cost- effective, reproducible data, which oŒen act as the first line of defence and enable the fast response required. Given the nature of these key parameters – pH, Conductivity, ORP etc – the principles of standardisation still hold very true and the benefits outlined above can be secured and are well worth having. The all new Capital Controls MicroChem3 processor and controller has recently been launched by De Nora and has been developed with just this approach in mind. De Nora certainly has a complete understanding of the importance of accurate analysis – from oestrogen mimicking compounds, steroids, flame retardants, insecticides and a range of pharmaceutical related compounds. Great strides This has inevitably led to the deployment of specialist instrumentation and measurement techniques to measure and manage the processes designed to address these issues. Great strides have been made in tailoring LC & GCMS techniques to almost field deployment by improving their reliability, applicability and affordability. However, there will always be a reliance on the key surrogate •