Britvic Soft Drinks Monitor Hydrogen Sulphide in its Drinking Water Bottled Products

Analytical Technology (UK) announces that Britvic Soft Drinks has selected its A15/81 monitor to accurately test Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) levels in finished bottled products. The innovative A15/81 is the only system that can monitor soluble H2S in water on a real time basis and enables Britvic to monitor their water bottling facility for hydrogen sulphide accurately and in compliance with strict legislation.

Bottled water in the UK is strictly controlled by The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations (England) 2007. The regulation specifies that bottled water should not contain any micro-organism, parasite, property, element or substance at a concentration or value which would constitute a potential danger to human health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates the taste and odour threshold for H2S in water to be as low as 0.05 mg/litre. Although WHO has not set a health-based guideline value of H2S in drinking water, they make it clear that H2S should not be detectable in drinking water by either taste or odour.

Analytical Technology’s A15/81 monitor measures soluble H2S in water on a real time basis, overcoming the problems caused by conventional dissolved sulphide monitoring systems, providing an improved method for measuring sulphides in solution. Rather than using a traditional ion selective electrodes (ISE) sensor, the A15/81 employs a polarographic H2S gas sensor that is isolated from the sample, enabling continuous operation on many types of water and wastewater streams with minimal maintenance and adjustment. For Britvic, a key advantage of the A15/81 monitor is that the sensor does not come into contact with the sample. Only the gas stream containing the stripped H2S reaches the sensor. As a consequence, the system continues to function regardless of the quality of the sample. The only requirement is that large particulates be strained from the sample.

Britvic required a dissolved sulphide monitor that was easy to operate and maintain. The only regular maintenance requirement is to change the acid reagent once every six weeks and to change the H2S on an 18-24 month basis. Running costs are very low as the acid usage for pH adjustment in the chemistry module of the A15/81 is inexpensive. The tubing in the sample system has long-life capability.

The monitors were installed at Britvic’s Huddersfield factory; three on each borehole line fitted in a central location. Following installation, Analytical Technology provided full operational training to Britvic on a one-to-one basis. Since implementing the monitors, Britvic has been able to ensure that its bottled products are accurately and continuously monitored for hydrogen sulphide, ensuring that costs and maintenance are kept to a minimum and reliable results are generated in real time.

Jason Gledhill, Continuous Improvement Co-ordinator at Britvic, comments: “Our customer service expectations include Right First Time, flexible installation due to the nature of FMCG processes as well as a rapid response to queries and quick resolution of any issues as and when they are identified. Analytical Technology performs excellently against all these expectations. The company takes a very flexible and professional approach to system implementation and technical support that really differentiates the company. When requested, support is usually delivered within a 24 hour period. In addition, the cost of the units was minimal compared to the scope of the project that the install was incorporated into.”