Effluent Monitoring Using UV Fluorescence

Justin DunningUse of fluorescence provides significant improvements to currently used absorption techniques being far more selective and sensitive. This has led to commercial development of such fluorometers that are now being applied to both environmental monitoring requirements as well as informing efficacy of water treatment processes, providing data that correlates with BOD and other parameters.

Justin Dunning of Chelsea Technologies will be presenting at the Effluent Treatment Seminar at Sustainability Live. The presentation will be of interest to both Water Process Engineers as well as Environmental Monitoring authorities. An overview on the current status of this technology will be provided with references to current applications, and will conclude with a review of future work to enhance the current data provided.

Justin will also outline the work Chelsea has been doing using UV fluorescence technology for real-time monitoring of effluent and in particular showcasing the new UviLux BOD Indicator.

Chelsea is addressing the challenges of effective monitoring of effluent with the introduction of the new low cost portable UviLux BOD Indicator. Using UV fluorescence, the sensor detects protein which is inherent within sewage and slurry and provides a means of assessing concentrations with unparalleled accuracy and resolution.

The principle behind the measurement is based on excitation of Tryptophan-like fluorescence, within the UV wavelength band. This is a new in-situ sensor which provides an immediate indication of water quality and can be related to standard biological oxygen demand which typically takes 5 days and therefore provides little immediate operational benefit.