New portable ammonium ion meter

Electrochemical Sensor Technology (EST) Ltd (UK) reports ‘strong interest’, in their portable ammonium ion meter. The device, which goes by the acronym ‘ESTAPAS’ is an electrochemical system configured into a very simple to use hand-held unit. The simplicity of its operation is of great benefit to our customer’s, added Dr Neil Marshall, MD of EST. ‘We have produced a direct reading meter, that really does allow anyone to make water analysis measurements simply, and easily, just by pressing a couple of buttons’. A large and continuously lit LCD panel guides the user through the measurement process, which only requires about 2 min.

The meter utilises a single-use disposable sensor unit. This removes the common problems of sample contamination experienced when moving from one sample to another, another significant advantage. The sensor probes are also pre-calibrated, so that the user can carry out their analysis without making up calibration solutions, or necessitating frequent checks for calibration drift; a common problem with ISE’s. The meter is ideally suited to ‘in the field’ type of applications, though it is also equally at home in a typical laboratory environment. Importantly the solid-state electrochemical processes used in the sensor system means that the measurement is free from turbidity effects, making it ideal for cloudy or heavily soiled samples. The unit may also, by virtue of its design considerations, be used in chloride bearing solutions without any special considerations or sample treatments’.   Applications for the meter to date include use as a process-monitoring tool, checking conformity of effluent streams and discharges, and also as a reliable back-up device for checking continuous monitoring systems.