Automate the digestion, preparation and measurement of Mercury in all liquids

A1 Envirosciences, primary European agents for Nippon Instrument Corporation are pleased to announce the next generation of liquid mercury analysis to the UK and Ireland.

The RA-4500 discrete instrument allows, for the first time ever, all steps from sample digestion through to measurement of liquid samples to be fully automated. The required amount of sample is as small as 5mL, and reagents as well as waste fluid can be significantly reduced. Thus, compared to previous methods such as flow injection, using this discrete analyser can reduce operation costs by up to 50%.

In mercury measurements, the sample handling step that most affects measurement accuracy is the sample wet pretreatment step. The RA4500 solves this by:

• Acid decomposition of samples and determination of the end point.
• Adsorption and volatilization of mercury during wet pretreatment.
• Avoiding contamination from reagents and vessels.
• Handling hazardous reagents and disposal of waste fluid away from operators.
• Reducing health and safety exposure from operator fatigue, experience, skills, safety education and exposure to hazardous chemicals etc.

The RA-4500 solves all of these issues with the added benefits of a discrete analyser over a flow injection system:

• Discrete sampling - No contamination and carry over between samples.
• No phase separator (during gas/liquid reduction) to be contaminated.
• Much lesser wear on pumps, sample lines and other consumables.
• Calibration curve can be modified mid run to accommodate out of range samples without re runs.
• No stabilisation time to require reagents and water to flush flow injection system for stable baseline.
• No gases required for operation.

All of this means a more accurate repeatable result with reduced operator interaction.

Full automation of sample pre-treatment steps

In the RA-4500, the 10 wet pretreatment steps including the reagent and acid addition, heating/cooling, and residual potassium permanganate checking are fully automated. Atomic mercury can be subjected to wet pretreatment, vapourised by the bubbler and then measured by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy with the highest level of sensitivity and accuracy. The RA-4500 allows for measurements in accordance a range of international standards and regulations

To ensure complete sample digestion, the RA4500 has the following features:

• Equipment performance function built into software.
• A noncontact sensor ensures the detection of undecomposed samples, and potassium permanganate colour can be accurately determined.
• A new heating method using an infrared heater, and equipment construction with integrated exhaust duct & drip-proof enclosure.
• The peak for mercury and the peak for other substances are automatically identified.

A1 Envirosciences invite interested parties to submit samples for comparison against existing techniques, a demonstration at our facilities conveniently located on the M62 corridor or an on site no commitment evaluation at a customers location.

Further details on this instrument and the full range of NIC products for all sample matrices are available here.

A video with explanation of the instruments workings is available here.

A1 Envirosciences contact details are here.